Hive Health & Inspection
Queen Marking Kit
A dot of colour that makes the queen findable in seconds.
Finding an unmarked queen in a full deep box can take ten minutes of frame-by-frame searching. A marked queen is visible the moment you lift the frame, which makes inspections faster, gentler and far more informative — you know at a glance whether the colony has replaced her.
The international colour code cycles by year ending digit, so a single dot tells you the queen's age. The kit is a cage to confine her safely on the comb, a soft plunger to hold her without injury, and a paint pen in the right colour.
At a glance
Safety
The queen is the colony's single point of failure. Work over the open hive so that if she slips she falls into it, never over the ground. If you are not confident, practise on drones — they are expendable and just as large.
Using it well
- Mark newly mated queens within the first two weeks. They are easier to catch and the colony accepts the mark immediately.
- Let the paint dry fully before release. A wet queen gets groomed aggressively by workers.
- Practise the whole sequence on drones first. Drones cannot sting and nobody mourns them.
- Write the year and colour in your inspection notebook — the mark is only useful if you record it.
Compatibility
Hive types
- Langstroth
- Top-bar
- Flow
Bees
European honey bee (Apis mellifera)
Educational reference only. Hive & Honey sells no equipment and takes no sponsorship. Specifications here describe typical products in this category; check the actual figures for the item you own or intend to buy. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions and your local regulations.