A color code exists within the beekeeping industry to indicate the year the queen was introduced. Blue 5 or 0 Model car paint may be used to mark the queen. The identifying mark should be small, so that it does not cover any other part of the queen. Paint should be given ample time to dry before the queen is released into the colony. In fact, queens may be purchased already marked by the queen producer.
Some beekeepers also identify queens by clipping the tip of the tip of one forewing.
The clipping practice may also supplement the paint spot technique as a back-up should the queen lose her paint mark. If clipped correctly, the queen will not be able to fly. However, if clipped too closely, the queen may appear damaged and be superseded. If specific requirements are not met, the resident bees within a colony may reject, even kill, a newly introduced queen. Through the years, many procedures for introducing queens have been published.