Queen Marking

Marking a queen solves two problems at once: finding her during an inspection and knowing her age without keeping a notebook.

The international colour code

Five colours repeat on a five-year cycle, so the colour tells you the year she was born:

• White — years ending in 1 and 6
• Yellow — in 2 and 7
• Red — in 3 and 8
• Green — in 4 and 9
• Blue — in 5 and 0

The classic mnemonic — White, Yellow, Red, Green, Blue — works fine: 1-2-3-4-5 and round again. Using the code rather than any old colour is what lets you open a hive three years from now and know at once whether that queen is due for replacement.

What to mark with

• POSCA® marker (€4.15) — a water-based paint pen, the most used. Fine tip, quick drying and code colours.
• Marking plunger (€4.50) — holds her against the comb with a soft mesh while you mark. It is what saves the beginner's shaky hand.
• On-frame marking cage (€2.95) — the same principle, resting directly on the frame.

How not to spoil it

Little paint and on the thorax, never on the abdomen or over the eyes and antennae. Let it dry before releasing her: release her wet and the workers clean it off and you have no mark — or worse, they treat her as a stranger.

Marking is also the moment to decide whether that queen stays. If you are rearing, the equipment is in queen-rearing tools; if you would rather buy them already marked, in live material.