Choose your dots

beepro · August 29, 2018, 11:12:03 PM

Hi, All!

I'm making small silicone dots to mark the mated queens with. Early on in the season I've marked some new queens but
the paint on her thorax got chewed off. So an idea came along to make some painted dots out of silicone glue. The clear glue dots are placed on
a piece of aluminum foil tape with a small toothpick first. Then after the glue is dry the dots are painted with different bee year color. A final coat of crazy glue will leave the dots a shiny mark.

The final process is to lift the dot off the foil with a small one edge razor blade and super glue it on the queen's thorax. I have to hold the queen still inside a
queen marking tube. I got 100s of these tiny dots to choose from. Which one is your favorite dot?

Different color dots: https://tinyurl.com/ybgzpd5j and https://tinyurl.com/y7efdl7u

Van, Arkansas, USA · August 30, 2018, 01:45:40 PM

Hi Beepro, the problem with crazy glue is cyanide. Crazy glue under various names is cyanoacrylic glue. Well, the cyano in cyanoacrylic is short for cyanide. My question: is the queen harmed by the cyanide, which is a deadly poison. In fact cyanide is one of the deadliest poisons.

I do not know, it may be the cyanide is bound in the glue and cannot enter into the queens body. But until I know, I reframe from the fast set cyanoacrylic glues. I use Elmer?s glue to glue a number to a queen. The problem is slow set and I find the numbers fall off with time with Elmer?s glue, which is a harmless glue.

Acebird · September 01, 2018, 09:01:10 AM

Van most monomers are extremely toxic until they are turned into a polymer. Super glues are use in medical procedures and many, many medical devices. However I would not use silicon and super glue on a queen to replace paint.

Ben Framed · September 01, 2018, 11:06:22 AM

It is good to think (outside the box), but I am wondering what paint you used that failed? Queens have been successfully marked for years with paint. Now days it couldn't be easier, simpler, or faster than now, using the one handed queen catcher. But if you prefer to go about in your new way, wouldn't the silicone dry (flat) and not contour to the thorax? Wouldn't this be almost impossible to keep glued down as the dry flexible silicone will (remember) its dried shape and (desire) to go back to that flat shape, always trying to lift from the new glued shape of the queens thorax? You may have already overcome this and all is working just as you have planned? If so congratulations with your experiment! And if so, why not add the color, mix, the color in the clear silicone, that you desire, before doting the silicone on the base sheet to dry? They way your dot will be based with the color through out? Would a cheap teflon cookie sheet work better than aluminum foil? Best of luck to you . Keep us updated. Thanks, Phillip Hall

Ben Framed · September 01, 2018, 11:48:12 AM

Quote from: Van, Arkansas, USA on August 30, 2018, 01:45:40 PM
I use Elmer?s glue to glue a number to a queen. The problem is slow set and I find the numbers fall off with time with Elmer?s glue, which is a harmless glue.

Mr Van, I have wondered how the numbers are attached to the queens. Is this something that is hard or complicated to do? Thanks, Phillip Hall

Van, Arkansas, USA · September 01, 2018, 12:12:10 PM

Hey Ben, the queen is exposed to carbon dioxide so she sleeps, does not move. Placing numbers or paint is easy on sleeping queen.

Ben Framed · September 01, 2018, 12:30:31 PM

Quote from: Van, Arkansas, USA on September 01, 2018, 12:12:10 PM
Hey Ben, the queen is exposed to carbon dioxide so she sleeps, does not move. Placing numbers or paint is easy on sleeping queen.

Awesome, thanks Van!! I was wondering how this was done and was to the scratching my head part! Hee hee, have a great Labor Day Weekend!!

beepro · September 04, 2018, 02:45:33 AM

I have testor and other queen marking paints. Both set I have use before but overtime it still wear out. With this process the paint cannot fall off using the super glue. The brand of glue I use is from the welding paint company making this brand of super glue. I'm not sure if this glue is toxic to the queen or not.

Ace, I don't know if this is polymer reaction or not. But I know that this super glue once combined with the silicon glue will have lots of small foam bubbles once they reacted. So now it will be a layer of silicone then once dried use a small razor blade to shave the top off a bit. Then put the paint dot on. And then put the crazy glue on top to hold the paint in. Just don't allow the silicone glue to come in contact with the crazy glue otherwise bubbles would form.

The silicone glue is flexible enough to curve a bit otherwise I will use a smaller dot for the paint that will fit on the thorax.

Ben Framed · September 13, 2018, 12:25:58 AM

Quote from: Van, Arkansas, USA on September 01, 2018, 12:12:10 PM
Hey Ben, the queen is exposed to carbon dioxide so she sleeps, does not move. Placing numbers or paint is easy on sleeping queen.

Is this carbon dioxide process also used when the queen is bred using the AI process, in order to keep her still?
Thanks, Phillip Hall

beepro · September 19, 2018, 10:06:48 PM

Mr. Ben, I don't use Co2 in the entire marking process. Simply push the queen onto the
screen and put the painted dot on her thorax. I do use a small amount of TB-3 glue and the testor
paint to put on the pre-painted dot though. The tension from the plunger sponge is enough to pin the
queen on the metal mesh for me to put the dot on.

Ben Framed · September 19, 2018, 10:20:56 PM

Quote from: beepro on September 19, 2018, 10:06:48 PM
Mr. Ben, I don't use Co2 in the entire marking process. Simply push the queen onto the
screen and put the painted dot on her thorax. I do use a small amount of TB-3 glue and the testor
paint to put on the pre-painted dot though. The tension from the plunger sponge is enough to pin the
queen on the metal mesh for me to put the dot on.

Thanks Beepro.

Van, Arkansas, USA · September 19, 2018, 11:26:14 PM

Quote from: Ben Framed on September 13, 2018, 12:25:58 AM
Quote from: Van, Arkansas, USA on September 01, 2018, 12:12:10 PM
Hey Ben, the queen is exposed to carbon dioxide so she sleeps, does not move. Placing numbers or paint is easy on sleeping queen.

Is this carbon dioxide process also used when the queen is bred using the AI process, in order to keep her still?
Thanks, Phillip Hall

Mr. Ben: In a word: yes. I also used carbon dioxide gas on a mailed queen that had swiffer fibers wrapped around her neck and front leg. The fiber was successfully removed with the aid of a 3D microscope.

Ben Framed · September 20, 2018, 12:11:39 AM

Quote from: Van, Arkansas, USA on September 01, 2018, 12:12:10 PM

Mr. Ben: In a word: yes. I also used carbon dioxide gas on a mailed queen that had swiffer fibers wrapped around her neck and front leg. The fiber was successfully removed with the aid of a 3D microscope.

Thank You Mr Van. This is a subject that I am becoming increasingly more interested in. It looks like it is time for me to do some research!! Thanks again, Phillip Hall "Ben Framed"