The international queen marking color code
Beekeepers commonly use a five-color code to show the year a queen was born. The color is based on the last digit of the year, so the cycle repeats every five years.
| Last digit of year | Color |
|---|---|
| 1 or 6 | White |
| 2 or 7 | Yellow |
| 3 or 8 | Red |
| 4 or 9 | Green |
| 5 or 0 | Blue |
Queen marking colors by year
| Year | Color |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Blue |
| 2021 | White |
| 2022 | Yellow |
| 2023 | Red |
| 2024 | Green |
| 2025 | Blue |
| 2026 | White |
| 2027 | Yellow |
| 2028 | Red |
| 2029 | Green |
| 2030 | Blue |
| 2031 | White |
What color are queens marked this year?
For 2026, the code color is white. In 2027 it will be yellow. The color reflects the year the queen was born, not the year you marked her.
An easy way to remember the order
The order of the colors is white, yellow, red, green, blue. A popular mnemonic for this is “Will You Raise Good Bees?”
Why beekeepers mark queens
- Faster finding. A colored dot makes the queen easier to spot among thousands of workers during an inspection.
- Age tracking. The color tells you roughly how old she is, which helps you decide when to consider replacing her. Queen performance often declines with age, though how fast varies.
- Spotting replacement. If you find an unmarked queen in a colony that had a marked one, the colony has probably superseded or swarmed. That can explain surprising changes in brood patterns, and it is useful when working out what happened to a missing queen.
Marking basics and cautions
Many beekeepers use a purpose-made queen marking pen or paint that is non-toxic and quick drying. Keep these points in mind.
- Handle the queen gently and avoid pressing on her abdomen. If you are not confident, ask an experienced beekeeper to show you, or use a marking cage designed for the purpose.
- Apply a small dot to the thorax, the section between the head and the abdomen, and avoid the head, wings and abdomen.
- Let the paint dry before returning her to the frames.
- Marking is optional. Many queens are bought already marked; see buying a mated queen bee.
- Any queen can be damaged or rejected if handled roughly, so if in doubt, leave her unmarked.
Colors can be wrong or fade
The system only works if the person who marked the queen followed the code. A dot can wear off over time, and a colony may have replaced the marked queen without you noticing. Treat the mark as a clue and not as proof. You can also read about differences between queens in queen bee types and why they differ, and about how many queens a hive can hold in the guide to queens per hive.
Frequently asked questions
Why are some beehives painted different colors? Hive color is a separate matter from queen marking. Some beekeepers vary hive colors or entrance markings to help bees find their own hive, though this is a personal choice rather than a standard.
Do bees return to the same nest every year? A honey bee colony usually stays in its hive and overwinters there if it survives, while a swarm leaves to find a new home. Other kinds of bees, such as bumble bees, start new nests each year.