Paul: Do NOT use fingernail polish!  The solvent might be deadly to bees.  It
also dries hard and brittle and can flake off.
I have used Tester's Model paint for years.  Now, it comes in a tube like a
pen, and I find that wonderful!
A queen bee will NOT sting a human! - only another queen.
Using your thumb and index finger, grab the queen by the head and thorax (NOT
THE ABDOMEN where you might damage her reproductive system.  Touch the Tester
felt tip pen to the thorax (avoid eyes and wings), blow your breath on the
paint for a few seconds and put her back with the bees.  She is marked FOR
LIFE!
Before your injure or kill a queen, or before you get stung by worker bees as
you are learning how to pick up a queen, practice on DRONES.
You absolutely have to use bare hands - NO GLOVES.  It is very simple - just
practice and try it.                                                                                            George Imirie