Cage for queen marking

Marking Cage for Queen Bee Marking

Do you spend unnecessarily long time during hive inspection searching for the queen, or are you unsure how old she is? The marking cage is a simple but extremely practical tool for every beekeeper. It allows you to safely and gently mark the queen bee so that you can find her immediately during subsequent inspections and keep track of her age and replacements.

Why it pays to mark the queen

Queen marking facilitates work in the colony and helps prevent mix-ups. Thanks to the colored mark, or number or symbol, you can quickly recognize the queen's year class and more easily distinguish, for example, a newly introduced queen from the original one. The main advantage of the marking cage is safer manipulation without stress – instead of catching her with your fingers, you only gently hold the queen through the cage, which reduces the risk of injury.

How to use the cage in practice

You can first catch the queen from the comb (for example into a queen clip or queen catcher), or place the cage directly on the comb where the queen is moving. Gently place the fine mesh on the queen and press lightly so that she is immobilized but not compressed. Through the mesh openings, you can then easily apply marking paint to the queen's thorax.

Important warning: Use only a small amount of paint or adhesive. Too thick a layer may flow between the thorax and head, or glue the wings together, which can lead to damage to the queen or her rejection by the colony.

Technical Parameters