Queen 'spraying'? An odd experience

[kincade]

While marking a queen yesterday I had a very odd experience. I had just let her walk into the marking tube and before I put the plunger in the queen shot out a clear liquid from her hindquarters all over my counter. It was a bunch of small droplets, perfectly clear.

As I was under the impression honeybees did not urinate this struck me as odd. Anyone else ever see something similar? She was acting perfectly normal before and after, but she had been through a rough treatment by USPS prior to this.

[Red_SC]

Probably feces.

http://honeybee.drawwing.org/book/queen-faeces

[Michael Bush]

I agree, probably feces. They do spray when competing with other queens...

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/...003%20copy.pdf

[westernbeekeeper]

Mine did the same thing in the exact same situation.

[kincade]

Thanks for the clarifications. I figured it could be feces but the distance it shot and the clarity was surprising...