UniPOSCA marker pen is popular in the UK http://www.thorne.co.uk/queen/marking. Comes in five colours and has a bullet tip that gives a good round spot. Lasts well if applied properly (have 4 year old queens where the spot is still good). I find that it is best to rotate it a little as I mark the queen so that the paint goes down onto the thorax, otherwise you can sometimes just paint the hairs which then wear away. Best wishes Peter 52.144442, -1.503509 *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html