A New Technique for Marking Queen Bees (Apis mellifera) for Better Visibility and Easier Spotting

While marking queens is an optional rather than mandatory technique, it is increasingly becoming a standard practice in modern beekeeping. Finding queens in strong colonies and large apiaries is a time-consuming process. The visible and durable marking of the queen enables it to be seen more quickly, directly improving productivity in apiary management. This study examined a new technique for marking queens using an oil-based marker, which involved marking not only the thorax (as a standard technique) but also the wings and abdomen. The durability of the marking was assessed by measuring color retention at the start of the experiment and after five months. Two groups of queens were formed: an experimental group, marked with the new technique on three body parts—Group O (n = 12) and a control group of unmarked queens—Group N (n = 12). The most durable color retention was observed on the thorax (54.4%) and abdomen (14.4%), while retention on the wings was weaker (2.4%), necessitating reapplication during the season. Considering the proportion of the total marked area, abdomen marking gave better results (9.5%) compared to the thorax (5.4%) and wings (0.6%) marking. The application of this marking technique showed no negative effects on queen acceptance, survival, or supersedure. Marking three body parts can increase the queen’s visibility in a non-invasive way, improving work efficiency.