Queen marking

[blackcloud]

The only bother I've had is with a newly purchased Toma which the paint separated after the third use and doused the poor bugger with thinners.Luckily it was only swarm queen.

 

[Swarm]

My white Posca has done two rounds and still going strong.

 

[Blunt Spike]

I think you miss the main point. Most people mark their queens to enable them to find them easier in subsequent inspections

Who said that? I see no ships

 

[Sutty]

I recently re-marked a 2020 queen which had worn off except for a thin blue ring.

 

[North End Bees]

I use fluorescent pink for all queens.
I got a Toma pen after advice on here and much prefer it to the water based ones.

I used to use the conventional colour coding but those pens have now been donated to my daughter for arts and crafts. Yellow is difficult to spot when a lot of pollen is coming in, likewise white when HB in flower, and blue is just too dark unless it's the fluorescent blue.

 

[Olivia9801]

I've just started using the pre- coloured discs you glue on the Queen. Give it a few weeks to see how good the adhesive is.

 

[Swarm]

This one has done well but there were others that came off.

 

[hemo]

My 2 or 3 year old flouro green one has all but nearly dried out so I pulled the nib out and with a pipette added a few drops of isopropanol, I now have a good pen again.

 

[Ian123]

My 2 or 3 year old flouro green one has all but nearly dried out so I pulled the nib out and with a pipette added a few drops of isopropanol, I now have a good pen again.

If the nib on the pens wears or goes a bit funny pull it out and reverse it!

 

[Cuckmere couple]

i used the pens but had a couple of 'floodings' on hot days despite first dabbing on glove

now i use the little paint pots with a nail brush (£1.25 in thornes sale last year)...much easier to apply accurately imho

the cage makes a difference too....bought a cage with a q space and narrow strips open for access which is better than the previous traditional plunger...btu beware...bees can get in through the bee space in the new model and if you leave q in that on another hive whilst finishing inspection, there is a risk of other bees getting in!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

bought a cage with a q space and narrow strips open for access which is better than the previous traditional plunger

any kind of plunger setup is a faffery designed for disaster. If you cannot or don't feel comfortable picking up a queen, user a Baldock cage (C.O.T.) less stress for the bees as she never leaves the surface of the comb, probably less stress for the queen too.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

yes, not mastered holding queen as like to wait for paint to dry and didnt get on that well with the baldock...getting other bees out of the way etc

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

yes, not mastered holding queen as like to wait for paint to dry and didnt get on that well with the baldock...getting other bees out of the way etc

all you have to do with the Baldock is to raise it slightly after marking her and she can move around freely under the cage whilst the paint dries

 

[SWEET]

 

[Sutty]

View attachment 36835

Great pic!

 

[Olivia9801]

View attachment 36835

Which adhesive do you use for your dots?

 

[Garry R]

When bees cluster in the winter around the queen and in summer when they swarm are they playing that kid's game - Join the dots?!!

 

[SWEET]

Which adhesive do you use for your dots?

Hi, super glue gel, works very well.