Beedots are discs which come in five different colours to match the colour for
queen marking, ie white yellow, red, green and blue, with numbers 1 - 99 in
each colour. They are applied with glue to the thorax of a queen bee for
breeding purposes or general identification, and workers and drones for
research. Thomas Seeley in 'The Wisdom of the Hive' describes how to mark
every individual in a hive.
 
We have sold these for many years not only to beekeepers, but to people
researching shellfish and many other invertebrates. Judicicious location or
alignment can give many more number permutations than the 500 in the kit.
 
Discs are also available without numbers; although slightly more awkward to
apply, the regularity of the outlne really stands out in the hive, more than
the irregular outline of a drop of paint, particularly with yellow, when there
is a lot of yellow pollen around.
 
Matthew J Allan
Manager, Thornes of Windsor, UK