Marking Queens

Not everyone marks queens but it can be helpful for a number of reasons:

• Makes it easier to sport queens during inspections, particuarlly if it's a darker queen or you struggle spotting queens.
• If something happens to your original queen and it's been superseded or you missed a swarm you'll know about it.
• It's a sure way to know the age of the queen in the future without looking at your records.

What Colour To Mark Your Queen With In 2024?

For 2024 the colour to mark your queen is green. The table below shows the upcoming years and respective colours.

Green	2019 & 2024
Blue	2020 & 2025
White	2021 & 2026
Yellow	2022 & 2027
Red	2023 & 2028

What Pens To Mark Queens With

Quite a few people have recommended using Posca pens which you can find easily on Ebay and AliExpress for a couple of pounds. I've always found the paint fades and comes off within a year.

I now use Zeyar paint marker pens which have worked really well, you can also get fluorescent versions of the colours for example glowing green, hot pink, lemon and brilliant blue. Queens with these colours really stand out on a frame full of bees, it also has the benefit that if you find a swarm in or around your apiary you'll know if it's come from one of your hives as it's unlikely anyone else locally will be using the same bright versions of the colours.