Queen marking colours
A spot of colour on the thorax helps you find the queen in seconds and tells you her age. Enter a year to see its colour, or pick a colour to find out when a marked queen emerged.
How it is calculated
The international colour code
The colour follows the last figure of the year the queen emerged, on a five-year cycle. British beekeepers remember the order with “Will You Raise Good Bees?”: White, Yellow, Red, Green, Blue.
| Year ends in | Colour | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 or 6 | white | 2026, 2031 |
| 2 or 7 | yellow | 2022, 2027 |
| 3 or 8 | red | 2023, 2028 |
| 4 or 9 | green | 2024, 2029 |
| 5 or 0 | blue | 2025, 2030 |
How to mark a queen
A single small spot on top of the thorax, with a queen marking pen or a numbered disc, never on the abdomen, head or wings. Hold her in a one-handed queen catcher, a clip or a cage, and let the paint dry before releasing her. Practise on drones first: they cannot sting. Read more in our article on the queen bee, and plan a rearing season with the queen rearing calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What colour is a queen bee marked this year?
A queen that emerged in 2026 is marked white. The colour follows the last figure of the year on a five-year cycle: white for 1 and 6, yellow for 2 and 7, red for 3 and 8, green for 4 and 9, blue for 5 and 0.
How do I remember the queen marking colours?
The initials of White, Yellow, Red, Green and Blue give the question “Will You Raise Good Bees?”, which British beekeepers use to remember the order.
Where do you put the mark on a queen?
A single small spot on top of the thorax, the part between the head and the abdomen, and nowhere else. Hold her in a one-handed queen catcher, clip or cage, and let the paint dry before releasing her.
Do I need to remark an old queen?
No. Her colour tells you the year she emerged. If she is still the colour of several years ago, it is a sign she may be due for replacement.
Sources
- Queen colours, Dorchester and Weymouth Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA member association)
Calculators
Sugar syrup for bees calculator
Sugar syrup for bees, worked out for you: NBU thick and thin syrup, 2:1 and 1:1 by weight or ready-made invert syrup, with the sugar, water and dose per hive.
Open the toolFondant for bees calculator
Fondant for bees in winter: how many 1 kg or 2.5 kg blocks your hives need, and the sugar and water for homemade bee candy, with the NBU’s safety advice.
Open the toolQueen rearing calendar
Enter your grafting or Cupkit date: cell builder, capping, mating nucs, emergence, mating and first eggs, day by day, ready to export to your calendar.
Open the toolHoney yield and price calculator
How many 1 lb, 12 oz or 8 oz jars will your hives fill, and what is left after jars, labels and sugar? A honey price calculator in pounds sterling.
Open the toolHoney moisture content: refractometer check
Is your honey ripe? Check a refractometer reading against the 18 % target and the UK legal limits of 20 % and 23 % for heather, and work out a blend.
Open the toolVarroa mite calculator
Natural mite drop, sugar roll, alcohol wash or drone brood: estimate the mites in your colony and compare the count with the National Bee Unit’s thresholds.
Open the tool