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British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • Marking Queens

  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #8423  by Dolly
 09 Aug 2020, 15:10
Hi there its Dolly here again .Thanks for the advice last week.
So have just been in again today and Hive one queen right with eggs and all going well ,I decide to mark her ,really wish I hadn't I'm sure I've damaged her ,got marker on her wings and she's staggering about oh dear .Anyway I guess if she fails they will make a new one. Fingers crossed.
So hive 2 the new little queen survived the grumpy bees and looks like all ok in there so I'm going to leave well alone for now and let them get on with it.
What is the best method of marking a queen ??? :roll:
 #8424  by Steve 1972
 09 Aug 2020, 15:45
She should be ok with a bit on her wings and Queens sometimes go a bit dozy once you have messed on with them..
My preferred and only method of marking Queens is with a bullet tipped posca pen..i give the pen a good shake to get the little ball bearing inside to mix the paint and then do a few test runs on the hive roof or something else smooth till i get a nice tidy sized dot..only then will i attempt to mark any Queens..with the posca pens a lot of paint sometimes comes out with the first attempt ..last week when i marked a Queen the first push of the spring loaded tip of the pen leaked loads of white paint out that would have totally covered the Queen...as mentioned a few test runs till you get the right sized dot is best..
 #8425  by Spike
 09 Aug 2020, 16:10
Did you pick up the queen or use a crown of thorns type cage?
 #8426  by Dolly
 09 Aug 2020, 17:17
I first attempted to catch her with a group type gadget that let's workers out but keeps the queen.I missed her ,so used the tube with plunger ,ah well time will tell I guess
 #8428  by Patrick
 09 Aug 2020, 18:55
Steve is spot on 😁

I am sure she will be fine. I have not had a queen superseded after marking and I have occasionally masonary painted one. I have a bit of a love hate relationship with Posca’s. The fact we may use them so infrequently and being stored for months between uses can’t help much, but the sticking out or in nib issue does make getting them working on a hive part first highly recommended.

Personally I use a crown of thorns cage or one of the plunger types to hold the Queen static for a few moments. I may have misunderstood you but the queen clip is not really suitable as she is too mobile - I don’t actually use mine ever, I think they are potentially lethal. The upside of the thorns cage is you never need to handle the queen and she is static but she is on a frame and typically workers take an interest and mob the cage top getting in the way and even trying to clean off the mark. I usually catch the queen securely and then take the frame a few feet away to reduce traffic. A puff of my fetid breath may clear them as well. Same with a plunger held queen, though in that case I pick her up first to pop into the tube before inserting the foam plunger as chasing her around to try to get her to walk up into it is not restful for me or her. Queens can quite quickly become skittish if hassled too long and that’s when mistakes happen.

Whether marking or clipping (and I generally do them on different occasions) there is benefit in just getting on with it. If it is turning into a bit of a saga, leave it for next time and let everyone calm down again. Knowing you are going to mark, get your pen working then put your pen and cage within arms length on a neighbouring hive roof. That way, when you find the queen on the right frame, you can keep her in sight, move the frame towards your kit and pick up your cage using peripheral vision to locate it, then pop it over her when she is positioned appropriately. If you leave it in your bee box or pocket, by the time you have glanced away to get it out, even though you know she has to still be on that frame somewhere, she will have inexplicably slipped through a portal in time and space disappearing entirely.... 8-)
 #8429  by Dolly
 09 Aug 2020, 21:28
Thanks guys for your advice ,hopefully she will he ok in future I may use a crown of thorns ,I tend to get get nervous around the queen and ultimately make thi g worse, I need more practice :)
 #8430  by Patrick
 09 Aug 2020, 22:04
Firstly, you can obviously find Queens in the first place - so that’s a major plus.

Secondly, if you mark in Spring then even if there is an issue (there won’t be), the workers can easily raise a successor and get her mated.

Thirdly, you may not get so much practice with only a hive or two. You could always practice on marking and picking up drones. Just use a different colour pen than the queen.

Perhaps surprisingly I can’t remember ever seeing a queen damaged by handling. Mature queens are much tougher than assumed.
 #8431  by Cable_Fairy
 09 Aug 2020, 22:15
I am afraid that I use the see and jab with the pen in the hope that I actually hit her in the correct spot. I did pick her up at one point but she mad a fuss batting her wings on my fingers I put her down. I will have to practice on drones.........thanks Patrick
 #8435  by AndrewLD
 10 Aug 2020, 12:08
Just to add a couple of points to the good advice Steve and Patrick have already given.
If using the crown of thorns remember that the object is merely to prevent her moving and not to pin her to the comb so you crush her.
A small dob of marker through the lattice and then quickly ease it up so she can move - don't glue her to the lattice.
A short delay while the paint drys and release.
Please do not use tippex or nail polish - apart from the chemicals, if she smells when you release her she may be killed by the workers.
Practice on drones is a good idea.
 #8463  by nealh
 11 Aug 2020, 20:23
I have once or twice and probably a few more times mismarked a queen.
Painted wings done that stopped her from flying far, I remember painting her face once without any issues.
I tend to see mark her on the comb when stops but every now and then it's goes a bit awry .