Ceramic Bee Cups! Help the Bees Stay Hydrated This Summer

Bee Cups!

Despite evidence to the contrary the sun does actually appear every once in awhile here in Ireland. Sometimes it is even quite hot (20°C/68°F counts right?) I type this while clutching a hot water bottle and glaring out my window at the falling rain.

Nevertheless every so often we are blessed with a heatwave and during this time I've come across many bees in desperate need of hydration. I do what most of us have learned to do and ran inside to get them some water with a sprinkle of sugar in it. I thought to myself, if only there was a way I could avoid the poor little bees getting into such trouble in the first place.

I had heard of bee cups and decided to have a shot at making my own!

In this Instructable I will show you:

1. How to make Bee Cups to help keep bees and other pollinators hydrated.
2. How to make a pinch pot using clay.
3. Tips on glazing ceramics.

Let's get started!

You will need:

1. Clay (I'm using white stoneware but any kiln clay will do)
2. Sponge & Water
3. Two part epoxy glue + Face Mask
4. Metal Rods (mine are 2mm x 50cm/19" copper coated steel rods and 1.5mm x 30cm/12" steel rods)

Specialty Equipment:

1. Ceramic Glazes (I will be using Amaco Glazes)
2. An Electric Kiln ( A community Kiln is a great option for people who don't have access to a kiln at home)

To begin making your bee cups start by grabbing a small bit of clay. Mine is about 4cm (1.5") in diameter but the size really doesn't matter. I find having an array of different shapes and sizes gives the bee cups a more organic look.

1. Roll your clay into a ball.
2. Pinch one side of your clay to slightly elongate it.
3. Keep going until you end up with a cone/pear like shape (Pic 4)

I know every child in school has probably at some point been thought to make a pinch pot. Some of my fondest school memories are of using pinch pots to make a fish pencil holder, a monster pencil holder or even sometimes a monster fish pencil holder. So although you probably already know how to make a pinch pot even in your deep subconscious I will do a quick refresher for you.

1. Start by lightly pushing your thumb into the round part of your clay ball.
2. Keeping your thump in the center, pinch the sides of your ball rotating around the edge as you go (Pic 2)
3. At this point I like to place my clay on a hard surface, apply a bit of pressure with your thumb (still in the center) and slowly rock the clay back and forth to thin out the edge (Pic 3)

Don't worry if the edges become a bit uneven and wobbly, I think this only adds to the final piece!

Slightly wet your fingers and pinch out the very edge of your clay to further thin it out. Once you are happy with the overall shape smooth out the whole piece with a damp sponge.

To finish off grab the metal rod you have chosen to use and poke it into the bottom of your bee cup and wiggle it around a bit. Clay shrinks in the kiln so make sure to make the hole a good bit larger than the metal rod you are using. Take the rod out of the clay and set the bee cup aside to dry out completely.

When dry the bee cup will go through it's first firing, this is called the bisque firing. I bisque fired mine in an electric kiln at 1060°C (1940°F or Cone 04).

Once out of the bisque the fun begins! One of my favorite parts of ceramics is experimenting with different glazes and these bee cups are a great way of trying out new combinations. I used Amaco glazes for my bee cups but any and all brands should do the trick. While glazing it is important to let each layer dry completely in-between each coat. A heat gun or a hairdryer can be used to speed up this process.

You should feel little to no resistance from your brush when applying glaze to ceramics. If you do feel your brush start to drag it means you need to load your brush back up with glaze.

For each bee cup I did 6 layers of glaze, 3 layers of one color then 3 layers of my next color. For example Pic 1 is 3 layers of Amaco Rainforest and then 3 layers of Amaco Ancient Jasper around the rim. If you are using just one color only apply 3 layers of glaze.

Place your bee cup (or cups!) into the kiln and glaze fire to 1240°C (2264°F or Cone 05-06)

Pic 4 is a wee little experiment of melting broken glass in the kiln, I put it in a little holder as I was worried about the unpredictability of the glass. I first fired it in a bisque firing but subsequently added it to the glaze firing to properly melt the glass.

There is nothing quite like the anticipation of waiting for the Kiln to be opened. The excitement and the nerves! I was delighted with how some of these colors turned out and am especially impressed by the melted glass (Pic 4).

I thought I would include Pic 5 as an example of how glazing can often be unpredictable. This "Stoned Denim" glaze is supposed to be a nice blue but as you can tell from the picture it is anything but. The brown areas are where I applied the glaze too thinly causing the color to burn-out.

I still added it to the garden as I don't think the bees will be quite as picky as I am!

I chose to use a quick setting epoxy resin to glue in my stems. I have tried super glues and different gels before and none of them seem to be as effective as the epoxy resin. The only downside to the epoxy is that it smells dreadful so I would recommend a face mask while using it.

1. Squirt out a small bit of resin and mix it together for a minute or two. I like to use a chopstick for stirring.
2. Dip your metal rod straight into the epoxy then glue it into the hole.
3. Leave to set for a couple hours. The glue says 5 minutes but I always like to be cautious.

I used the longer copper rods for bigger bee cups I had made. The difference in the clay colors are due to me using different types of clay (Notes on Pic 7)

Ta Da! Your Bee Cups are complete! The great thing about these Bee Cups is that they are completely weatherproof. Stick them in amongst your flower pots or raised beds and give them a good dousing with your watering can or hose to fill them up. Congratulations! You are now doing your bit to help keep bees and other vital pollinators properly hydrated during the hotter months while also adding a bee-utiful pop of color to your garden. Watch as your light-reflecting bee cups gently sway in the breeze, inviting little pollinators to replenish their thirst. I even managed to snap a picture of one of the little fellas visiting one of my bee cups in Pic 5!