The first time a beekeeper looks at a frame and tries to spot a queen among 30,000 nearly identical bees, the experience is humbling. Queens are slightly longer and slightly slower than workers, but they are not dramatically different and they hide between bees with surprising skill. Marking the queen with a dot of color on her thorax solves this problem instantly. A marked queen jumps out of the frame from a foot away.
The system that beekeepers use to mark queens is a global standard called the international color code, sometimes called the queen year color or the IBRA color code (after the International Bee Research Association). The code uses five colors on a rotating 5-year cycle, with each color assigned to specific year endings.
This guide covers the color code, the years it covers, why the system exists, and how to mark a queen safely.
The color code, year by year
The cycle uses five colors and five year endings, repeating every five years.
Years ending in 1 or 6: white. So 2021, 2026, 2031, 2036.
Years ending in 2 or 7: yellow. So 2022, 2027, 2032, 2037.
Years ending in 3 or 8: red. So 2023, 2028, 2033, 2038.
Years ending in 4 or 9: green. So 2024, 2029, 2034, 2039.
Years ending in 0 or 5: blue. So 2020, 2025, 2030, 2035.
The mnemonic some keepers use is Will You Raise Good Bees (White, Yellow, Red, Green, Blue) in cycle order. Others remember it by the year they started keeping bees and counting forward.
A queen marked white today (in 2026) was raised in 2026. Five years from now, if you still see a white queen in a hive, you know she is either 5 years old (very unusual) or she was marked last cycle and the color has been reused. In practice, queens rarely live more than 2 to 3 productive seasons, so the color almost always tells you the actual emergence year.
Why the system exists
The color code originated in European beekeeping research and was adopted internationally so that beekeepers, queen breeders, and researchers can share queens across borders and instantly know how old they are. A queen breeder in Germany can ship a queen to a beekeeper in California, and both parties know the queen’s age from the color alone without paperwork.
For hobby beekeepers, the benefits are smaller but still real. Knowing a queen’s age helps with several decisions:
Replacement planning. A 2-year-old queen will often be slower in spring buildup and more likely to be superseded by the colony. Some keepers proactively replace queens after 2 years to maintain colony vigor.
Supersedure detection. If you marked the queen yellow when she was installed, and on a later inspection you find an unmarked queen instead, you know the colony has replaced her. This is critical information: supersedure can be a sign of poor queen quality, disease, or recent disturbance.
Swarm tracking. If your marked queen disappears entirely (no marked queen, but a new unmarked queen present), the colony likely swarmed. Knowing the timing of the swarm helps with future swarm prevention.
Record keeping. In an apiary with multiple hives, color tells you at a glance which colony has the oldest queen and is due for replacement.
How to actually mark a queen
The process takes about two minutes once the queen is found. The first step is always finding her, which is the hard part.
Locate the queen on a frame. Look for the slightly longer, slightly more graceful bee, often surrounded by an attendant retinue of workers facing her in a circle. Queens are most often found on frames with open brood (uncapped larvae), which is where she is laying.
Gently move the queen onto a flat surface. Some keepers transfer her to the flat top of the hive cover; others use a marking tube directly on the frame. A queen catcher (a hairclip-like device) can hold her gently between two parallel bars while you work.
Get her into a marking tube. The tube is a clear plastic cylinder with a soft foam plunger. Cover her gently, then push the plunger down so the foam holds her against the mesh end without injury. The queen should be still, breathing, and pressed lightly against the screen.
Apply a small dot of paint to the center of the thorax. The thorax is the middle body section, between the head and the abdomen. Use a Posca PC-5M paint pen or equivalent in the correct color. Touch the tip briefly to her thorax to leave a dot roughly 2 to 3 mm across. Do not flood the area. A small dot is enough to spot, and excess paint can run.
Wait at least 30 seconds for the paint to dry. The Posca paint dries to a matte finish that bees do not chew off. Returning a queen with wet paint risks workers trying to clean the wet patch and injuring her in the process.
Release the queen back onto the frame she came from. She will walk back into the colony within seconds. Do not drop her into the hive from above; place her on a frame and let her walk.
Common mistakes to avoid
Marking the abdomen instead of the thorax. The abdomen flexes and the paint can crack or be cleaned off. The thorax is a rigid plate where the paint stays put.
Using too much paint. A large drop runs and can cover the queen’s wing bases or get onto attendant bees. A small dot is plenty.
Using the wrong paint type. Permanent markers, oil-based paints, and craft paints with solvents can harm the queen. Stick with water-based paint pens designed for the purpose.
Marking in cool weather. Queens are slower to move in cool conditions but the paint also dries slower, increasing the risk of disturbance damage. Mark in warm weather (above 65 F) when possible.
Marking immediately after introducing a new queen. Give a newly introduced queen 7 to 10 days to be fully accepted before marking. Marking too soon can cause the colony to reject her.
Marking in the wrong year color. Use the color for the year the queen emerged, not the year you found her. A queen emerging in late 2025 and discovered in early 2026 should still be blue (the 2025 color), not white.
What if I cannot find the queen?
The frustration of unfindable queens is real. Some colonies hide their queens skillfully and even experienced keepers can spend an hour without spotting her.
Strategies that help:
Inspect on a sunny day in mid-morning. The queen is more likely to be on open brood frames, which are usually in the middle of the brood nest.
Move the outer frames first to let the bees settle, then work toward the center.
Look for the queen retinue: a small circle of workers facing inward. The queen is usually at the center.
If you cannot find her in 15 minutes, close up and try again in a few days. Repeated stressful searching is worse for the colony than a missed marking session.
Some keepers buy pre-marked queens from breeders rather than marking their own. This is a fully valid approach and removes the need to find the queen in your own hives. Pre-marked queens cost about $5 to $10 more than unmarked queens.
The system in 2026 and beyond
For 2026, mark with white. For 2027, mark with yellow. The cycle is stable and has been used internationally since the 1950s, so any beekeeper, anywhere in the world, can look at your queen and know her age.
If you start beekeeping in 2026, get a set of Posca pens in all five colors. The set will last for many years. Mark the year on the cap of each pen so you do not lose track of which is which.
The system is one of the small but elegant traditions of beekeeping. It makes inspections faster, queens more legible, and apiaries easier to manage. The two minutes spent marking a queen pays off many times over the next two years.
Frequently asked questions
What is the queen marking color for 2026?+
Yellow. The international color code rotates on a 5-year cycle: years ending in 0 and 5 are blue, 1 and 6 are white, 2 and 7 are yellow, 3 and 8 are red, 4 and 9 are green. 2026 is a year ending in 6, so the color is white. Wait, let me check that again. Years ending in 1 or 6 are white. 2026 ends in 6, so white is correct. 2027 will be yellow. 2028 red. 2029 green. 2030 blue. The cycle repeats.
Will marking the queen hurt her or cause the colony to reject her?+
Rejection is rare but not impossible. The risk is highest when the paint or ink is applied wet directly to the queen, then the queen is returned to the hive before it dries. Workers sometimes try to clean the wet paint, and during that process they can injure the queen. Marking should always be done with the queen restrained in a marking tube or queen catcher, the paint applied to the thorax (not the abdomen or head), and at least 30 seconds allowed for drying before returning the queen to the colony.
Why does anyone bother marking queens?+
Three big reasons. First, it makes finding the queen during inspections much faster, especially in large colonies. Second, the color tells you the queen's age (when she emerged), which matters for understanding colony performance and planning replacements. Third, an unmarked queen in a previously-marked colony tells you the queen has been replaced by a supersedure or swarm, which is critical information about what the colony has been doing. Many keepers find queens faster after years of practice and stop marking, but it is genuinely useful in the first 5 years.
What is the best tool to mark a queen safely?+
A queen marking tube (also called a press-in cage or marking cylinder) is the standard. It is a clear plastic tube with a soft foam plunger; the queen is corralled into the tube against the mesh end, the foam pushes her gently against the screen, and you mark her thorax through the mesh. This holds her still without your fingers touching her body. Posca paint pens in the correct color are the most common ink, with food-safe water-based paint that dries in about 30 seconds.
Can I use any paint or marker, or does it have to be a special queen marking pen?+
Use a Posca PC-5M paint pen or a similar water-based, non-toxic, oil-free marker. Permanent markers (Sharpie) contain solvents that can harm the queen. Nail polish is too thick and slow-drying. Acrylic craft paint is acceptable in a pinch but the consistency is harder to control on a small surface. Posca pens in the five standard colors are sold by beekeeping suppliers as a set for $25 to $40 and last for many years.
Morgan Davis
Morgan Davis writes for The Tested Hub.