applying paint to bees

My beelining plans are coming together, but I need experience applying paint to bees. Initially bees arrived to the sky burial stack of boxes with an unpredictable flight path. Later, bees returned to the boxes in a slower and more predictable path - an irresistible opportunity to paint bees. I successfully applied washable kids paint to bee abdomens, but I need more practice applying paint to the bee thorax - I'll get there.