Queen Marking Pen

This the brand of paint pens most commercial beekeepers use including Bob Binnie & Kamon Reynolds. Pen is an alcohol based paint marker (so it does really fast, less smearing). Used in conjunction with one of the queen marking cages, you can mark the back of a queen. We hold the queen in our fingers and mark her. This takes practice so give it time. This both makes it easier to find a queen quickly during inspections & to keep track of the age of your queen. If you have marked queens and open the hive to find an unmarked queen, it is a good indication they have swarmed (typically in spring) or had a supersedure (more common in summer or fall). occasionally very hygienic bees will remove some of the paint too.

This pen color for 2025 is Blue. We carry different colors besides the usual 5 because some people want to keep better track of their queens. If you have a purple, orange, gold and such, you’ll know if a swarm you caught is yours or not someone else’s.

*Pro Tip – Practice marking drones until you get the hang of it. Then mark workers (they will give you a bee kiss if you do it wrong). By the time you mark your queen, you’ll feel more confident. Drones and workers are much easier to replace.

Broken Pen? No Need to order a whole new pen. You can find replacement nibs (pen tips) for the Competitive Advantage Pens HERE