I marked 2 queens yesterday. The first one I marked, I got a bit of the paint on the very upper portion of the wing, just where it meets the thorax. It wasn't completely stuck, but the movement of the wing was limited. Seemed to get better as she cleaned herself. Will this harm her or cause the workers to dispose of her and assume she is injured?
Most of mine seem to be fine after I screw up.
general thought is it may cause supercedure sooner but i've messed up pretty good and had the same queen the next summer.
I was marking one and the paint pen just ran. It got all over her thorax and one wing was entirely covered. I put her in the hive figuring she would probably die. She was still there that fall. I didn't see her the next spring. I was surprised she lived. Of course it is to be avoided.