Chapter 8: Nadiring, Swarming and Reproduction
Overview of Chapter Eight~
Nadiring – Add an empty box underneath when the bottom box is aprroximately 80% full. This is the natural direction bees prefer.
Swarm control: Provide space early; split strong colonies intentionally in spring. Capture wild swarms to increase apiary naturally.
Chapter Eight~
Nadiring is the central seasonal job. When the lowest box is about 70–80 percent full of comb and covered with bees, and a flow is underway or imminent, place an empty box with starter bars on the floor and set the existing stack on top. The bees then draw downward. Do this early enough in spring that the colony never feels cramped, typically when hawthorn is budding in many inland areas, earlier in warm coastal sites. A second nadir may follow in June if the flow continues. Avoid nadiring in a dearth or in cold weather; empty space below the cluster can chill brood.
Swarming is the colony’s reproduction. Warre colonies swarm when congested, when the queen is older, or when conditions are good. Providing space by nadiring early reduces the urge but does not eliminate it. Many natural keepers allow prime swarms and increase their apiary that way, or make an intentional split: lift the top brood box onto a new floor in a new location, leave the parent with the lower box and young larvae from which they can raise a queen, and ensure both have stores. The flying bees return to the original site, so the moved box needs enough nurse bees and emerging brood to survive.
Captured swarms are hived as in Chapter 6. A swarm hived on fresh bars during a flow often draws beautiful straight comb and becomes a strong production colony the same year. Cutting queen cells is possible but fights the system; if you must prevent a swarm because of neighbours, a pre-emptive split is cleaner.
Reproduction for the keeper who wants more hives is therefore mostly swarm capture plus a few timed splits in May. Queen rearing in mini-mating nucs is possible later but is an advanced step; the basic Warre already produces its own queens when allowed.
