Queen marking

[swabby]

My wife and I been trying to mark our queens with model paint from hobby-lobby and a stem of bahia grass. We have not got the job to profection as of yet ,but we are trying.
My question is we seem to get the paint all over the wings ,body and yes sometimes on the large hump, are we doing more damage than good. Thanks

[BeeAware]

The main thing is not to get the paint on the queen's head or eyes. Otherwise, it doesn't do much harm unless you get so much paint on her that you clog the breathing openings. I like to hold the queen between my thumb and forefinger of the left hand, and mark her with the right hand using a small artist's brush that I trip for the purpose. Of course, the marking pens and tubes that you get from suppliers work well.

[Michael Bush]

Yes, you are doing more damage than good. Practice on drones, not on queens. Use next year's color. If you don't have any drones left, then practice on workers. If you can't do it well, don't mark queens. I've had some that got a big smear on them and they lived and did ok for a season, but they were gone by the next year. Usually my queens live about three years.

[peletier]

I have had very good results with the tube and marking pen. Nice clean dots and no broken legs or wings. The pen I use is water based paint and holding the queen in the tube for a couple of minutes allows the paint to dry. Once the paint is dry, it doesn't come off.

I don't like the idea of using solvent based paint on a queen.

[tonyp]

I thought I seen in a video someone using numbered stickers to mark queens. I wonder where you can buy them at?

[Boglehead]

The only two places I found were in australia and ontario, canada. Expensive with shipping (~$40 us) but a pretty unique item.

http://www.beeworks.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=10&zenid=ba4cd4db3932df22eed2290763537022

[JensLarsen]

Two steps:

1. get the paint onto a board
2. use the head of a match to dip in the paint and then mark the queen

(http://www.swienty.com/shop/vare.asp?side=0&vareid=112952)

If you go for one color only, I find neon-green or baby-pink to really make the queen show. You find these colors in nail polish.

[beedeetee]

You can always add a little paint a lot easier than taking some off. I use a small diameter weed that grows here. If you can see a drop on the end of the stem, you have way too much paint.

I dip in into the paint and then run the stem along the rim of the bottle to get most of the paint back off. Then touch it to the queen. Sometimes I have to touch her a couple of times with the stem, but wait for a few seconds because the paint will spread.

[beekuk]

Easier to mark the queens with the uni posca pens.this is what most use in uk, water based acrylic,you can buy them from many sources, e bay,art shops ect.

https://products.kelleybees.com/wtkprod/detail.aspx?item=640

Also been dicussed here.....
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?p=460817

[Michael Palmer]

My wife and I been trying to mark our queens with model paint from hobby-lobby and a stem of bahia grass.

I use Timothy grass and model paint. Testor's. Use a very thin stem af grass. You need to use the smallest bit of paint possible...especially with a new jar. The paing spreads out quickly. So a tiny drop in the middle of the thorax. Wipe extra paint off stem by twirling tip on cover. Spread paint on queen into nice circle.

Is the problem that the queen is getting away and you're getting paint all over her as she struggles? Are you using your fingers to hold her, and not one of those little contraptions?

Try this:
Make queen crawl toward the left. Pinch her wing tips with your right index and thumb. Allow her to stane on your left middle finger...on the side of it by the first knuckle. Close your left index and thumb on her thorax. She won't struggle. You can paint her, blow on the paint to dry for 30 seconds. Pinch her wingtips with right index and thumb. Pick her off your left middle and let her stand on the comb.

Or...place her head in the cork hole of a cage and kick her in the butt with your right ring finger. She'll walk right in.