Numbers for marking queens - 1-99 various colours

Numbers for Marking Queens

Modern way of queen marking. Small, color-coded numbers that are relevant to the year. Each package contains a set of numbers from 1 to 99. They are attached to the body of the mother with acetone (Celox, Nicel) or a nail polish. Do not use adhesive glue in any case. These labels have been tested and come from the Bee Research Institute at Dole.

Queen honey bees are marked for various different reasons:

To make them more easily visible during hive inspection.

To indicate the age of the queen, by a colour code.

To do both of the above as well as being able to trace the queen in question, by means of a number that can be linked to a data base.
All of the above listed reasons have their place in beekeeping, but the use of numbers is only relevant for breeding projects or in some cases for experiments that need to be able to identify a single bee.

The numbered discs themselves are nominally 2.2 mm in diameter, but vary a little between manufacturers, they also vary a little as the doming may not be consistent from batch to batch.