Huntingdonshire

One of the easiest ways to find a Queen is to have here marked.

The usual practice for this is to select the approriate colour for that year and the colour scheme is as follows:

Marking can be by done by a liquid marker pen, a coloured or numbered disc, the choice is yours and each is effective.

The Baldock Cage or Crown of Thorns as it is most commonly known is probable the most popular way of securing the Queen for marking.

Locate the Queen in the hive and place the 'Thorns' down over and around the Queen preferably over a piece of comb, be careful not to damage her!

Next gently push down until the Queen is unable to move, this is tricky and if you have not done this before seek guidance from someone who has.

Once in position, if using a liquid marker gently dab on the large black spot just behind her head, not too much as you could suffocate her by blocking her breathing holes.

Let it dry for a minute, no more as you do not want to stress the Queen too much. Remove the cage and place the frame (With Queen) back into the hive.

The method is exactly the same for a disc except you can release the Queen straight away.

• A good tip to store the Baldock Cage is to place it on a piece of polystyrene until next time you use it.