Marking and Clipping

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Could use fluorescent paint to make night time examinations easier

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

mons ab - a was given a top tip - use the seriously bright pink from the same range as our usual ones - stands out wonderfully.

use for queens of unknown age (or can use for all queens - at least neighbouring beeks know which is your swarm!!!!)

Triff - will give a go doc (now all I have to do is find the queen ...........)

 

[wwwcight]

I had fun doing that the first time. Fun to get hold of and harder to keep hold.

Have to watch cos she will keep trying to put her middle leg in the scissors.

wings are dead material like hair or nails, so can't cut them too short or anything.

I made a mess compared to the ones I received ready clipped, but she will not be flying anywhere soon.

 

[terryme]

I have selected neither mark nor clip but that is inexperience and cowardice - I think I will probably mark in future years.

 

[must_dash]

Marked a new queen yesterday, however just found out that the wonderful Poko pens get really runny when warm, she she looks 'dipped' rather than 'marked'. I was worried that I'd overdone it but she still there today looking like a ghost and easy to see.

As a newbie to this it is daunting. I did my first marking earlier this year and this is the third one. Having watched a few 'YouTube's on queen marking I bought a 'hair-clip' to catch her then drop her into a plunger to mark. I then leave here next to the hive to dry and a few stragglers usual find her. I then do my planed inspection and put her back in at the end onto a frame I have taken out. I hold this frame level and release her so I can see that she is accepted back with out trouble and maybe intervene if there is trouble.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

we always mark and clip our queens, but last week we marked all of this years queens, all went well except the last one which was a very large colony taken from a split and the queen had been very hard to find so we were determined to mark her even though the time was getting on in fact 6.00pm we found her picked her and marked her with red (we use red because we find it easiest to see in large colonies) waited a while for the paint to dry then placed her back on the same frame that she had come from, a few workers came to her and tried to clean of the paint but were unable to do so then they turned on her biting her legs and wings and then balling her, we were able to get her out and had to place her in a cage, we then placed her back in the hive between the frames and left her for three days she was allowed back in to the colony but the are now producing queen cells so they must not like her and think there is something wrong with her, we will now only mark between 11am and 3pm when the older bees are out foraging. Chris

 

[Hivemaker.]

Of course they will make queen cells if you caged her for three days,thats normal if you do this,nothing to do with if they like the queen or not.

 

[victor meldrew]

Can't hold scissors steady enough to clip
The joys of aging
VM

 

[New Bee 2]

I mark but don't clip ... don't follow colour code though. Would like to clip too but scared of damaging queen by picking her up - and of getting stung as I guess its impossible with gloves on

 

[Worldsend]

My first few looked as though they had met with a serious accident -beginner and shaky hands

queery do you get the small child assistant to hold the bee or do the marking!!

 

[huntsman666]

<...then they turned on her biting her legs and wings and then balling her, >

Next time, try lightly spraying her and those around her with weak syrup.