Apiology: The Study of Bees - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 24

Blue: for years ending in 0 or 5
White: for years ending in 1 or 6
Yellow: for years ending in 2 or 7
Red: for years ending in 3 or 8
Green: for years ending in 4 or 9
In order to mark a queen, beekeepers use a special tool called a queen catcher , a
small, spring-action clip (that looks like a hair clip), to gently pick her up. She is then
coaxed into a small, clear plastic queen-marking tube. The other side of the tube is
closed off with a screen. A sponge-covered plunger is pushed through the open side of
the tube and moves the queen toward the screen. When her back is against the screen,
the beekeeper takes the special queen-marking pen and, through the screen, marks the
back of her abdomen. The ink takes a few seconds to dry and then the queen is placed
back into the hive.
THE QUEEN AND HONEYBEE REPRODUCTION
All female honeybees begin their lives the same way: as fertilized eggs. The eggs are
laid in the brood nest . The brood nest is usually found on the inner-most frames of the
hive and is made up of a collection of cells, each containing an egg, that form an oval-