# Are the Sharpie Oil Based Paint Marker Pens ok for marking Queens?



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The sharpies are not easy to see. The mark just looks black on a queen's thorax no matter what color the marker was. Buy the testors paint pens at the hardware store instead. They are more opaque and lay a thicker, more visible mark on them.


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## FindlayBee (Aug 2, 2009)

Here is a link to the Sharpie paint marker I have access to. It is not the same as a Sharpie Marker.

http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/oil-based-paint-marker.aspx

They also make a water based paint marker. However, that is not one I have on hand.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Sorry, I have not seen those. Any enamel paint pen should work fine, and apparently that's what those are. Test it on a piece of wood to make sure it's not going to send out too much paint and run all over and is working as expected and then it should be fine.


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## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

Findlay, Buy a marker or whatever think might work and find some Drones to experiment on in the spring to see if it will work for you.


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## heaflaw (Feb 26, 2007)

Michael Bush said:


> Any enamel paint pen should work fine,


My instinct would have been to use water based because enamel would not be good on a queen's skin which would need to breathe. But, apparently my instinct is wrong?


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

Insects don't have skin. They breathe through holes in their exoskeleton called trachea. The only part of the queen which should be painted is the top shiny domed part of the thorax. Anywhere else is asking for problems.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

I think you meant spiracules, spiracules are the openings, trachea are the passageways the air travels through their bodies.

See --> Insect Anatomy Link.


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

Please forgive my ambiguity.

Also, I must reiterate the advice to practice on drones. A fun thing to do is practice on the drones from a single hive and see where they end up, that is if you have more than one hive.


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

how is yellow going to show up on a yellow bee? 40 colors of marking pens and the standard is yellow for this year.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

There is no specification as to what shade of "yellow", you could even use a bright fluorescent shade of yellow.


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## FindlayBee (Aug 2, 2009)

I practiced on drones last year and marked 3 queens. I use a queen marking cage and am happy with the results. Last years marker was a water based marker as part of the marking kit. I just happen to have a yellow oil based Sharpie Paint Marker this year.

The way I look at it is, a yellow dot looks different than a yellow bee as it moves about. I have read on many blogs about yellow being hard to see and that purple would be a better color.

Edit: Its not really a yellow bee, but rather yellow pollen that the bees bring in that I have read about causing some confusion when looking for a queen marked with yellow. Not an issue to me, but I have read that a few times.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Wal-mart crafts section - Elmers brand Painters paint markers - permanent, streak free, non-toxic and acid free. Medium size. They work. Apparently they aren't harmed by being a year old and being out in my freezing cold/blazing hot garage - I just checked. Do practice on drones. Did many queens last year, no problems.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>how is yellow going to show up on a yellow bee? 40 colors of marking pens and the standard is yellow for this year. 

I've never seen a yellow bee. I have some brown ones... 

Is this hard to see?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_45xv421Ao...ABI/_dqVi5Ofs-s/s1600/SpringDivides09_025.JPG


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## FindlayBee (Aug 2, 2009)

Thought I would share a photo of what my first queen looked like after I marked her last year.










Bad cell phone image. However, it does show the newly marked queen.


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## dan bright (Dec 10, 2020)

FindlayBee said:


> Thought I would share a photo of what my first queen looked like after I marked her last year.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


sure looks like that drone right in front of it


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I
Hi Dan, welcome to Beesource. Marking a drone instead of a queen is a common mistake, but you know Nick has not been on Beesource since 2013? Actually, it is a good idea to practice on drones first. Learn to catch them and mark them before you go and drop a huge glob of paint all over your $40 queen.


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