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How to safely tag a queen bee so you know how old she is and to make her easier to identify during regular hive health checks.
My hive adventure continues after my hive was reappointed as queen and her predecessor Aurora took early retirement.
It was time to celebrate the new queen, whom I aptly named Scarlett. Find out why below!
There are some great benefits to taking the time to tag the queen of a colony, especially for a new beekeeper like me who is still learning the basics!
Marked queens are easier to find
First, marking the queen makes it much easier to find during regular hive inspections.
When removing a panel from your hive to check for sufficient nectar, pollen and larvae, finding the queen can be a challenge as there are literally thousands of bees moving around!
Although the queen is larger than the worker bees and drones, it’s much easier to tag her with a small dot on the back of her upper abdomen!
The color indicates the age of the queen bee
Second, if you have multiple hives (I intend to increase my hives beyond the current one), it’s important to tag the queens so you know how old each one is.
Queen bees usually live about 2-3 years.
The color of the queen’s mark thus makes it easy to see how old she is and how long it might be before she continues to be productive in the colony.
Which color to use? Queen bee color marking guide
For example, this year…2023…is a red year for queen bees. Hence the name of my new queen…Scarlett!
This means that queens born that year should be marked with a red dot.
It is very important to ONLY use non-toxic paint specifically formulated for bees to mark the queen.
Never use nail polish or a marker that would be toxic to them.
Here’s a brand of non-toxic bee cages that are harmless to you and the hive.
In addition to non-toxic queen marker pens, you’ll need a queen marker tool to hold her securely during the process.
In summary, the birth year of a queen bee determines what color she will be marked with.
- White: Queens born in years ending in 1 and 6 are marked with a white dot.
- Yellow: Queens born in years ending in 2 and 7 are marked with a yellow dot.
- Red: Queens born in years ending in 3 and 8 are marked with a red dot.
- Green: Queens born in years ending in 4 and 9 are marked with a green dot.
- Blue: Queens born in years ending in 0 and 5 are marked with a blue dot.
How to mark the queen bee
Once you have your queen marker cage and non-toxic marker pens, it’s time to put a dot on your queen bee!
Below is a video of the three step process taught me by beekeeper John of Gem Apiaries to safely and easily mark the queen in my hive.
- Carefully capture the queen from a hive frame using the queen marking tool.
- Slowly reduce the queen’s range of motion.
- Once the queen is accessible through the openings at the top of the marking tool, use a non-toxic bee pen of the appropriate color to place a dot on her upper abdomen (back side).
Watch the process in the short video below!