Marking my queen

[emdisi]

I am struggling to find a non-toxic paint pen/white out product that I can use to mark my queen effectively without harming her.  I am so worried about introducing a nasty chemical into her system and don't have time to order a pen online.  The beekeeping shops I have called around Denver Metro area are "all out" and even the office supply stores that I have checked don't have the "water based" white out products by paper mate or Bic.  I have been to Michaels but don't know which "non toxic" paint pens I can trust.  Anybody have pictures of the brands they use?

Thanks beekeeping friends!

[CSBAPres]

Kris Holthaus, queen breeder extraordinaire in Fort Collins, recommends Testors brand paints so that is what I use. Acryl is the type you want--not the one with the carcinogen statement.  You can find it in tiny little jars in model car and airplane stores.  They also have these great little marking brushes, too. 

[emdisi]

Thank you for the advice!

[lcashmack]

I hate to ask. Is nail Polish out of the question?

[pook80123]

I have used an acrylic paint from one of the hobby stores.  Rather than use a paint brush, I use a toothpick.  If you just dip the end of it in the paint, it creates just about the right sized spot on her back...plus it's disposable and doesn't need to be washed. 

[emdisi]

Wonderful suggestions, all!  I did finally mark my queen last summer using non-toxic yellow hobby paint and a tiny paint brush.  I will use a tooth pick next time.  Amazingly, the workers had cleaned almost all the paint through the winter I noticed.  I am surprised I even found her with a tiny spec of pain left when I peeked in on our recent balmy 63 degree day. 

[Busy Bee Farm]

If I am not mistaken, Mann Lake carries/sells queen marking pens and cages.  You may not know that each year is designated with a different color.  That having been said, I quit marking queens several years ago as in my opinion it is a totally waste of time, especially if you have a lot of hives.  You may have to spend a lot of time looking around the hive to find her even if she is marked.  If that brings you joy then by all means go for it.  The reality is that there is almost no need to ever look for her let alone find her.  I concentrate on looking for "signs" of her.  You can tell a lot if all you see is capped brood, or if you see capped brood along with larva, or if you see capped brood, larva and eggs.  All of these have specific timings - for example if you see eggs you know she was there at least up to four days ago.  In any event - good luck this upcoming season.