Queen marking

[Blunt Spike]

As we approach the end of my first beekeeping year I am starting to plan for next year. I have just built my third hive and am hoping to get my second colony in the spring(keeping a spare hive and a nuc box ready for any issues that arise.)

My question relates to queen marking, I have searched previous threads for an answer but can't find one, so here goes, if I mark a new queen is there a risk that the smell of the marker pen could cause the colony to reject her and ultimately kill her? If so should I segregate her? How would you do this and how long for?

Thankyou in advance for your thoughts and advice.

 

[eddyh]

I always leave her in the plastic plunger for a few mins and blow on her a few times and there's usually no issues,but as with most things there's always an element of risk.

 

[Anduril]

Practice with drones first. It is not always the marker pen smell that the queens get rejected, it can be rough handling. Get used to the drones first then when you are confident, mark the queens.

 

[eddyh]

Practice with drones first. It is not always the marker pen smell that the queens get rejected, it can be rough handling. Get used to the drones first then when you are confident, mark the queens.

Good point.

 

[Uncle Betty]

As above, leave her in the plunger for a couple of minutes.

As to rough handling, some people run out a little puddle of the paint and rather than jabbing her with the nib of the pen itself, use a blade of grass to apply.

I apply with the pen, but run it on a scrap of paper first to ensure the paint is flowing.

 

[Anduril]

If you don't get the pen flowing first and press on the thorax, sometimes you end up with paint on the thorax head and wings if it comes gushing out.

 

[eddyh]

If you don't get the pen flowing first and press on the thorax, sometimes you end up with paint on the thorax head and wings if it comes gushing out.

probably dosen't even look like a bee after that lot!

 

[protheroe]

The first queen I ever marked got covered when the marker pen let a lot of paint flow out.the queen got covered but she was so easy to find on inspections.

 

[Poly Hive]

Re the scent issue a puff of smoke over the queen and into the space you are putting her back into resolves that problem.

The most important thing is when clipping is to WAIT as she will almost invariably lift a leg up, and if you clip that off then all the warnings about superceeding clipped queens will oddly come true.....

PH

 

[Millet]

The first Queen i marked was this year and i would not dream of directly marking a Queen with the tip of a posca pen, they are to unpredictable imo, i put a blob of paint on the hive roof and dipped a cocktail stick in it with the point cut of and dabbed it on the thorax, job done neat and tidy with no practice on drones.

 

[Levitt53]

I practiced on a drone in the summer and managed it perfectly. I did dab it on my hand first to ensure the paint was working and know what pressure I needed. I plan to get my queens marked first thing this year as I am rubbish at spotting them and it really caused me problems last year. It is my number one New Years resolution. The trick about smoke is handy.

 

[Poly Hive]

Well done you but I always recommend some practicing first as it is very easy to get wrong and when it does go wrong it is a dreadful feeling.

PH

 

[Millet]

Well done you but I always recommend some practicing first as it is very easy to get wrong and when it does go wrong it is a dreadful feeling.

PH

I do not need any practice PH it is one of those things that i found so easy to do, of coarse not without testing the markers capability on a plastic none living surface first, from messing about i found that very little paint is needed to make a nice tidy mark and all that i found that was needed could be held on the bottom of blunt cocktail stick, here is the first of many i will hopefully mark in the coming years.

 

[Noddy]

I use the coloured discs from Abello, with gel superglue applied with the little bead on the head of a dressmakers pin.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

You can test the posca pens out on your hand before marking; I pick up the queen then mark and place her straight back. Never a problem with the smell of the pen. People used to use stuff like humbrol enamel paint which must smell like a bugger to the bees so precautions were necessary, I believe.