incoming bees with markings on thorax

[meidel]

down at the apiary this afternoon i noticed a few marked drones and worker bees! so who has been practising marking bees recently then? I know it wasn't any of us at the apiary.

has anyone else noticed anything similar?

 

[itma]

Balsam?

 

[VEG]

you sure it isnt balsam?

 

[meidel]

you sure it isnt balsam?

is balsam green or blue?

 

[Mike a]

Serious drifting then?

Or someone sat in their garden marking your bees... watch out for the invoice coming your way.

 

[meidel]

drones i can understand, workers ??!!

 

[VEG]

you didnt say that in your post lol

 

[meidel]

there was yellow too - but that could've been pollen - but definitely green and definitely blue ones too.

 

[sandysman]

there was yellow too - but that could've been pollen - but definitely green and definitely blue ones too.

Na. That would be gold and bronze. You've got some sort of games going on in your part of the world haven't you. It could have been Beesain BOLT!

 

[For want of a better word]

"It's very hard to fly when you are being hit by raindrops."............or paintballs!

 

[REDWOOD]

Green I could understand must have come from those little green men's beehives

 

[susbees]

Hmm...when I was small I used to mark the thoraxes of worker bees on the clover on the back lawn of our suburban house in the long summer holidays - to see how many came back day after day: five colours it was...

...I never considered until I kept my own how perplexing it might be to the hive-keeper!

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Hmm...when I was small I used to mark the thoraxes of worker bees on the clover on the back lawn of our suburban house in the long summer holidays - to see how many came back day after day: five colours it was...
!

I doubt it was them, Susbees.

Dusty

 

[Spadaman]

down at the apiary this afternoon i noticed a few marked drones and worker bees! so who has been practising marking bees recently then? I know it wasn't any of us at the apiary.

has anyone else noticed anything similar?

Yep ! I've got white spotted workers ( no drones) going into one hive - looks like 2011 queens! Loads of them. No idea what it's from but the uncapped honey in the super is very dark.

What does Balsam look like ?

 

[meidel]

Yep ! I've got white spotted workers ( no drones) going into one hive
What does Balsam look like ?

balsam is white and the bees tend to get thoroughly covered in it, all over their hairy little bodies

 

[meidel]

Hmm...when I was small I used to mark the thoraxes of worker bees on the clover on the back lawn of our suburban house in the long summer holidays - to see how many came back day after day: five colours it was...

...I never considered until I kept my own how perplexing it might be to the hive-keeper!

hmmm i shall interrogate my boys this afternoon ...

 

[TOBY-3652]

green or blue, looks like some people are right and gm crops are allready here

 

[busybee53]

Think it is Ted Hoopers book which suggests practicing marking bees on drones and then when you get better to practice on workers till finally you are ready to tackle the queen. Personally I'm not going to bother with the workers.

 

[For want of a better word]

Think it is Ted Hoopers book which suggests practicing marking bees on drones and then when you get better to practice on workers till finally you are ready to tackle the queen. Personally I'm not going to bother with the workers.[/I]

 

[Andy Duff]

Yep ! I've got white spotted workers ( no drones) going into one hive - looks like 2011 queens! Loads of them. No idea what it's from but the uncapped honey in the super is very dark.

What does Balsam look like ?

This on bees