Being a queen producer, I have marked many queens and I have tried many
different products for marking queens.
 
My exerience with correcting fluid is that it is quite often removed from
the back of the queens by the bees.
 
I have used for many years an acetone-base special queen paint sold
unidentified by F. W. Jones & Sons from Bedford Quebec.  It holds better
than correcting fluid but it thickens quickly in the bottle and
you have to thin it with acetone.  By the way acetone is ok provided you
do not return the queen to the colony too soon after marking.  (I cage
them after marking).
 
The problem with all these liquid paints is that they are messy to use
and they are difficult to keep at the right consistency.
 
Last summer I have used extensively felt markers containing a water-base
opaque paint.  The trade mark is UNI POSCA.  It works well and it is
clean.  I bought them from Coppola Apiaries (Forestville, N.Y. (716)
965-2904).  They come in all the colors you need.
 
Jean-Pierre Chapleau
Queen breeder
vice-president of the Canadian Honey Council
(819) 828-3396
[log in to unmask] (my new and permanent address)