Yes, I use nail scissors which are kept for the purpose. When I inspect I generally have a marker pen or two in my RH pocket with the scissors and a couple of queen cages in my left pocket plus my phone for the odd picture and a small LED torch if it's evening.
I have a crown of thornes for marking queens but only used it once or twice for marking. I have read that beekeepers try to manipulate to get a wing sticking through so it can be clipped. The pins are sharp and will poke into your leg if in a pocket and go into the comb surprisingly easily so it's easy to squash the queen down onto the comb if you are not too careful. I have never used the queen catchers that are available.
The technique for picking us the queen is to grab (gently) the wings with thumb and forefinger as the queen is on the comb and then move the queen to my left hand - I form a triangle with my thumb and1st and 2nd fingers. Some people place the queen on the thumb and then hold the legs on either side with the 1st and 2nd fingers. I clip first and then mark with a Posca pen. I clip about 1/3 to 1/2 of one large wing which is enough to stop her flying. Sometimes she will poke a leg up so you need to be sure that you don't trim a leg off! After marking she goes straight down onto the comb again. There is no need to wait for the paint to dry. You may see in books that beekeepers used to use Humbrol model paint and dab it onto the thorax with the head of a matchstick. As the stuff stunk, I can see why you would need to wait a while with that.
Young queens will struggle so I tend to wait for a few weeks before picking them up as they are inclined to fly off. They will usually come back in a few moments. But not always Older girls are calmer.
You can't pick up a queen with welding gautlets which some suppliers sell. THIN washing up gloves are OK or nitrile disposables. Or go 'commando' with nothing on your hands.
The queen won't sting you - that's reserved for other queens.
If it's a hot day and you press the nib of a posca, it can expel ink due to expansion, so always check first - I put a spot on my hand to ensure that it's working OK.
Hope this helps
I have a crown of thornes for marking queens but only used it once or twice for marking. I have read that beekeepers try to manipulate to get a wing sticking through so it can be clipped. The pins are sharp and will poke into your leg if in a pocket and go into the comb surprisingly easily so it's easy to squash the queen down onto the comb if you are not too careful. I have never used the queen catchers that are available.
The technique for picking us the queen is to grab (gently) the wings with thumb and forefinger as the queen is on the comb and then move the queen to my left hand - I form a triangle with my thumb and1st and 2nd fingers. Some people place the queen on the thumb and then hold the legs on either side with the 1st and 2nd fingers. I clip first and then mark with a Posca pen. I clip about 1/3 to 1/2 of one large wing which is enough to stop her flying. Sometimes she will poke a leg up so you need to be sure that you don't trim a leg off! After marking she goes straight down onto the comb again. There is no need to wait for the paint to dry. You may see in books that beekeepers used to use Humbrol model paint and dab it onto the thorax with the head of a matchstick. As the stuff stunk, I can see why you would need to wait a while with that.
Young queens will struggle so I tend to wait for a few weeks before picking them up as they are inclined to fly off. They will usually come back in a few moments. But not always Older girls are calmer.
You can't pick up a queen with welding gautlets which some suppliers sell. THIN washing up gloves are OK or nitrile disposables. Or go 'commando' with nothing on your hands.
The queen won't sting you - that's reserved for other queens.
If it's a hot day and you press the nib of a posca, it can expel ink due to expansion, so always check first - I put a spot on my hand to ensure that it's working OK.
Hope this helps
May your bees read the same books as you do.