A marked queen is faster to find and reveals her age — the most important single fact when assessing a colony.

The colour sequence

The international sequence follows the last digit of the year and repeats every five years:

• 1 and 6: White
• 2 and 7: Yellow
• 3 and 8: Red
• 4 and 9: Green
• 5 and 0: Blue

Why age matters

• Older queens swarm considerably more often — pheromone output declines
• Laying performance falls
• The brood pattern becomes patchy

Without a mark the age is unknown, and the decision to requeen becomes guesswork.

Why finding her matters

Making a nuc, requeening and swarm control all require finding the queen.

The longer the search, the longer the hive stays open — and most queens that are lost are lost to the beekeeper.

Doing it

• Catch the queen carefully, with a catcher cage or marking tube
• Place a small dot on the thorax — not the abdomen
• Do not cover the eyes, antennae or spiracles
• Let it dry before returning her

The material

Marking pens or paint made for the purpose. No lacquer with strong solvents.

Numbered discs

They allow individual queens to be told apart — useful in rearing and pedigree work.

The timing

Mark only once the queen is mated and laying. An unmated queen is disturbed by handling and still flies.

The risk

Clumsily applied paint or damage from handling can lead the colony to supersede her. Work calmly and quickly.