It is raining here, so I have more time to write in the middle of an increadible good season. Painting: I also use modeling paint, but bought on a quarter litre jar on a painting store. The trick: any painting based on ENAMEL . Almost odourless and dry very very fast. As a painting tool I use a nail , nailed to a wood handle, then the head of the nail is filed leaving a 1 mm non sharp flat surface. The nail leaves on a hole on top of the pain jar. I also use a "press in cage" bought from Thorne. Again fast and clean. No need to catch the queen. Each beekeeper have one of them an set of paint+nail tool. When checking a hive, if the queen is not painted and we happen to spot her, we paint her. Again fast and clean. Colors: I am stick to international color code: white, red, blue, green, yellow. However as said by PeterB some color work better than other depending on the color of the queen. As I have ALL colors, I have learnt that light color (ie, base color + lots of white) are very easy to spot. I must admit that dark queens with a blue spot look great. I love blue !! :) Brother Adams: Probably he is right and caged queen (ie. born in incubator) are worst than a natural system, but I do not have time. I produce 30% more than what i need and then select the best ones. On a country with an average of 20 kg per hive I am quite happy with an average of 60 kg, plus two nucs per hive in average. Timing: Timing is everything for me. I give the virgin 15 days to mate. After that if not mated I mix the non mated nuc with a mated one on a brood box. I use 5 frames nuc boxes. Only if I have spare virgin I give them a second chance to those nucs. Any drone lying nuc is dissasembled. Bees to the floor, frames to a super. Nitrate: Yes it is a restricted agrochemical because it is used for making bombs. Also restricted here. I ask a farmer friend for it. We use around two kilos per season. -- Juanse Barros J. APIZUR S.A. Carrera 695 Gorbea - CHILE +56-45-271693 08-3613310 http://apiaraucania.blogspot.com/ [log in to unmask] ******************************************************* * Search the BEE-L archives at: * * http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?S1=bee-l * *******************************************************