How to Nadir a Super - Reverse Boxes - What To Do With Partially Filled Supers?

How to Nadir a Super - Reverse Boxes - What To Do With Partially Filled Supers?

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[fatherbee]

I've used this technique for clearing partial supers but then left the super over winter for 'space' which I now know is not needed. Your other videos have given me confidence that it's OK to have a single brood box chock full of bees. I think I had the novice fear of lack of space / swarm early in the spring season so kept a brood and half over winter.

[josephvogel]

Now I know what to do with those last few, partially filled nectar frames. Very helpful. Thanks

[veragiles]

Good explanation as ever! Thanks. Will re-think why exactly I put my supers under the brood box next year. I've only recently done it this year so am appallingly late, but very glad that I remembered to remove the queen excluders in time for last night's big drop in temperature!

[russellkoopman]

I have never heard Nadir before but I am from the states. What I did for the first time this year to clear a partial super is put a top wooden crown board between two hive bodies with the partial on top. The small oval opening in the middle I partially cover it with a small board and scratch any capped honey. A week later they have taken the honey down. Saw this trick on "John the Beeman" and it worked for me. I did have one queen move up and started laying eggs in the partial super so you may want to leave the queen excluder on. Thanks for another different method that makes sense.

[russdean]

Being a very new beekeeper I find it fascinating, love to read everyone's opinions and variations.
I asked the same question to a lady few weeks ago.
Her words were "don't faff about" after October treatment, remove apivar..then brood box, no Qx...wet super.. crown board...insulation... roof.
Brood and half next year.

[tonybaker]

Will the queen go back down and start laying in the Nadir'd super?

[etiennelabeille]

I do nadir and the reason is this: it offers additional storage for winter food and when the new season starts — let’s say end March — and the queen lays in the top box, NOT the super, which can then be switched to the top, above a QX. As for brood-and-half, don’t get me started. :-) I’m on polys, btw.

[tonyeckstein]

Hi Lawrence. Could i use this way instead of a Demaree to allow for a new box of frames in the brood area yet still allowing the unborn bees to emerge. This would also mean no honey stored in dark comb that would happen with the
Demaree system . Would the bees still take any necter up and clean out the bottom box?

[stephendawes]

To clean up my stickies when downsizing hives in autumn before freezing and packing away for storage I
currently put a QX on top of the sticky, turn the box upside down and put back on the hive - usually on top for ease of removal. The super is upside down so the now downward facing cells discourage refilling and drain a bit easier. Need the QX to stop the frames from falling out when invert. It only take a few days for cleaning. A couple times I have left for a few weeks and then found a few smart bees starting to refill as they tend to do if the cells right way up.
Might try the nadir system as I have seen the brood box get cleaned out really well if somehow a queen sets up home above the QX.

[BrooklandsHoneyBees]

Another great video man, hope you are well :)

[CastleHives]

Interesting. . Never heard of this. Thanks for sharing this information.

[tonyfeasby]

Nice vid Lawrence. Do you have any paynes poly floors? They have lugs in the corners which I think make nadiring a shallow difficult. How do you get round it...if you do? Cheers

[tommydonohoe]

Hey man. I'm in a weird situation. I've 3 problem hives at the moment, 2 of which superceded a few weeks ago. They have everything needed for winter except there's no eggs or brood. The other had a newly mated queen but now is in the same situation as the other two. I gave each of the hives a frame of eggs and they haven't drawn out any Queen cells so I assume they have queens. As it is late in the year I'm unsure of what to do. Is it possible that the Queen has stopped laying temporarily and I should just let it play out or should I cut my losses and combine the 3 hives with other hives? Sorry as this has nothing to do with your video but I watch all your stuff and consider your advice to be very good. I'm in connemara Ireland, native Irish bees and assume that we have very similar weather conditions. Thanks

[davidloucky]

I'm asking the same question: why not use a queen excluder between the nadired super and the brood chamber for the week or two they are drying it out? I hate it when a queen decides to lay in my super. Would there be anything wrong with that?

[patrickbodenham]

haha I'm also baffled by this. was told religiously to do it by local beekeepers I'm learning from, then asked myself why wouldn't the bees put it below themselves?

[emmawood]

I’m new so don’t jump on me but I think it’s a way of getting stores into the brood box for over winter instead of using syrup ?

[patrickbodenham]

How about this for a reason for nadiring honey super over winter: the cluster moves upwards so you need to remove the queen excluder to allow her to go with them (if she gets caught below she could freeze to death) but you don't want your queen laying in the honey super so you put it below?

[SindreEide]

Should you put a queen excluder over the nadired super to keep the queen up inn the broodbox?
Why or why not?

[danmccullough]

Why not just leave the super as is?
Will they not cap it over and use over winter?

[etiennelabeille]

If I have a wet super that needs cleaning, I put it above the brood box with a tiny hole between the two boxes. The bees don’t see the top box as part of the hive and so clean it out. A week later, just whip off the super, dry, and into storage.