thumb|right|250px|Sciamatura

La '''Sciamatura''' è il modo in cui si riproducono le famiglie di api (considerando la colonia come un ape europea. Per fare ciò  vengono create altre due o più nuove colonie in sostituzione della colonia originaria. 

La nuova  colonia si  forma quando l'api operaie. Tale sciame è detto primario ed è formato dalla vecchia regina. Qualora vi siano più vergini nella famiglia rimasta è possibile una nuova sciamature detta secondaria che potrebbe essere seguita da una molto più rara sciamatura terziaria.
Gli sciami secondari e terziari, formati quindi da regine vergini, sono di dimensioni  ridotte rispetto allo sciame primario.
Sovente appena lo sciame si è stabilizzao nella nuova colonia le api allevano una nuova regina oppure la sostituiscono con una vergine occasionalmente presente nello sciame. 
La sciamatura è un fenomeno prevalentemente primaverile, che dura usualmente due o tre settimane, dipendenti dalle condizioni locali. Occasionalmente possono però verificarsi sciamature fuori periodo in stagione inoltrata. Rari invece le sciamature autunnali ed invernali quasi sempre costituite dall'integrale abbandono dell'thumb|250px|Un apicoltore intento al recupero di uno sciame.
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Swarms of bees sometimes frighten people, though they are usually not aggressive at this stage of their life cycle. This is principally due to the fact the swarming bees have no hive to defend and are more interested in finding a new nesting point for their queen. This does not mean that bee swarms will not attack if they perceive a threat; however, most bees only attack in response to intrusions against their hive, and swarming bees have no hive. Most swarms will move on and find a suitable nesting location in a day or two. hives of inattentive beekeepers.

==Swarm management==
It is considered good practice in beekeeping to reduce swarming as much as possible by several techniques, as allowing this form of reproduction often results in the loss of the more vigorous division, and the remaining colony being so depleted that it is unproductive for the season. Beekeepers control reproduction by making nucs (nucleus or starter colonies) or by shaking package bees (usually for sale) from hives in the spring prior to the natural swarm time.

During the first year of a queen's life the colony has little incentive to swarm, unless the hive is very crowded. During her second spring, however, she seems to be programmed to swarm. Without beekeeper "swarm management" in the second year, the hive will cast a "prime swarm" and one to five "after swarms." The old queen will go with the prime swarm, and other swarms will be accompanied by virgin queens.

Swarming is to the beekeeper what losing all of his calves is to a cattleman. The hive that cast the swarm is often so badly depleted that it will be unproductive for the entire season. For this reason, beekeepers try to anticipate swarming and assist the bees to reproduce in a more controlled fashion by "splitting hives" or making "nucs." This saves the "calves" and keeps the "cow" in condition to accomplish some work.  

Beekeepers that do not wish to make increase may use one or more of the many methods for swarm control.  Most methods simulate swarming to extinguish the swarming drive.  

The Demaree method of swarm control is to remove a frame of capped brood with the queen. This frame is put in a hive box with empty drawn frames and foundation at the same location of the old hive.  A honey super is added to the top of this hive topped by a crown board.  The remaining hive box is inspected for queen cells.  All queen cells are destroyed.  This hive box, which has most of the bees, is put on top of the crown board.  Foraging bees will return to the lower box depleting the population of the upper box.  After a  week to ten days both parts are inspected again and any subsequent queen cells destroyed.  After another period of separation the swarming drive is extinguished and the hives can be re-combined.

thumb|right|250px|A swarm about to land
'''Swarming''' is the natural means of reproduction of honey bee colonies (considering the colony as the organism rather than individual bees which cannot survive alone), including the domesticated Western honey bee. In the process two or more colonies are created in place of the original single colony. It is considered good practice in beekeeping to reduce swarming as much as possible by several techniques, as allowing this form of reproduction often results in the loss of the more vigorous division, and the remaining colony being so depleted that it is unproductive for the season. Beekeepers control reproduction by making nucs (nucleus or starter colonies) or by shaking package bees (usually for sale) from hives in the spring prior to the natural swarm time.

New honey bee colonies are formed when virgin queen is already present in the swarm. ''Afterswarms'' are usually smaller and are accompanied by one or more virgin queens. Sometimes a beehive will swarm in succession until it is almost totally depleted of workers.

Swarming is mainly a spring phenomenon, usually within a two- or three-week period, the usual period depending on the locale. But occasional swarms can happen throughout the producing season. Old fashioned laissez-faire beekeeping depended upon the capture of swarms to replenish beekeeper colonies and early swarms were especially valued. An old English ditty says:
:A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay;
:A swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon;
:A swarm of bees in July isn't worth a fly.

thumb|350px|A beekeeper collecting a bee swarm.

Swarms of bees sometimes frighten people, though they are usually not aggressive at this stage of their life cycle. This is principally due to the swarming bees' lack of a hive to defend and are more interested in finding a new nesting point for their queen. This does not mean that bee swarms will not attack if they perceive a threat; however, most bees only attack in response to intrusions against their hive. Most swarms will move on and find a suitable nesting location in a day or two. hives of inattentive beekeepers.

==Swarm management==
thumb|Bee swarm upward bee hive.
During the first year of a queen's life the colony has little incentive to swarm, unless the hive is very crowded. During her second spring, however, she seems to be programmed to swarm. Without beekeeper "swarm management" in the second year, the hive will cast a "prime swarm" and one to five "after swarms." The old queen will go with the prime swarm, and other swarms will be accompanied by virgin queens.

Swarming is to the beekeeper what losing all of his calves is to a cattleman. The hive that cast the swarm is often so badly depleted that it will be unproductive for the entire season. For this reason, beekeepers try to anticipate swarming and assist the bees to reproduce in a more controlled fashion by "splitting hives" or making "nucs." This saves the "calves" and keeps the "cow" in condition to accomplish some work.  

Beekeepers that do not wish to increase the number of hives they have may use one or more of the many methods for swarm control.  Most methods simulate swarming to extinguish the swarming drive.

==Swarm control methods==
* In the ''Demaree method'' a frame of capped brood is removed with the old queen. This frame is put in a hive box with empty drawn frames and foundation at the same location of the old hive.  A honey super is added to the top of this hive topped by a crown board.  The remaining hive box sans queen is inspected for queen cells.  All queen cells are destroyed.  This hive box, which has most of the bees, is put on top of the crown board.  Foraging bees will return to the lower box depleting the population of the upper box.  After a  week to ten days both parts are inspected again and any subsequent queen cells destroyed.  After another period of separation the swarming drive is extinguished and the hives can be re-combined.