How to Mark a Queen Honey Bee

Purchase a bee-marking pen from a bee product supplier. Although some beekeepers prefer to use common paint pens, a pen formulated for this use will ensure no toxic chemicals harm your queen bee. Remove the cap from the pen before catching your queen. Dab the pen on a piece of scratch paper until the paint freely flows from the tip. Replace the lid to keep the tip from drying out.

Locate your queen bee in the spring or early summer, when the colony is at its smallest population. Remove the lid from your brood chamber and set aside. Apply a couple puffs of smoke over your frames to calm the bees. Remove one frame at a time, inspecting both sides for the queen. Place your inspected frames in a temporary nucleus box or set them back in the brood chamber before removing the next frame. Depending on your variety of honeybees, your queen may appear larger, longer and darker than the other bees.

Cover your hands with household rubber gloves to reduce your chances of bee stings. Catch your queen by grasping her gently between your thumb and index finger. Hold her by her thorax, using the tip of your third finger to support her abdomen. Use your paint pen to mark the center of her thorax. Set your queen inside the matchbox for two or three minutes to allow the paint to dry. Carefully return your marked queen to her brood chamber and replace the lid.