If you’re interested in using Meli, contact the Nectar team and we can enable it for your account.

Not right now. Meli is currently available through the Nectar platform. In the future, it may become available without purchasing a Nectar platform subscription. You can sign up here to be notified when standalone access becomes available.

Meli is being trained to be accurate as soon as you start using it, however higher levels of accuracy are being recorded at operations that choose to complete the calibration period.

Any modern smartphone will work. The Nectar app is available on both iOS and Android. For the best experience, we recommend using an NFC-enabled phone.

You can use the Meli Audio Stick, which is designed to make recording hive audio easier in the field. The Meli Audio Stick is available for purchase here.

As long as the recording is clear, Meli will process it. For the highest performance recordings we recommend using the Meli Audio Stick.

Calibration is the process of helping Meli learn how to interpret hive conditions in your specific operation. It also gives you a structured way to compare Meli’s predictions against real human observations, so you can audit the tool before relying on it for decision making.

Calibrating Meli is not a requirement — Meli results will be strong from the start. However, calibration helps Meli become better tuned to your operation’s specific conditions and practices, allowing you to trust Meli results for decision making. During this period, we’re offering customers free scans, but you can always choose to skip it!

As you validate the results of Meli predictions against beekeeper observations the Meli model improves. This allows you to trust Meli results for decision making.

This video shows how to calibrate Meli in the field:

The number of operational audio recordings available during the calibration period depends on your Nectar plan, typically ranging from 50 to 500 recordings.

The calibration process is designed to help you evaluate Meli’s accuracy in your own operation. The calibration dashboard shows how Meli’s readings compare against validated field data, and how performance changes over time.

Meli’s accuracy is improving as more beekeepers use the tool and more field data is collected. For the most relevant view of performance in your own operation, check your calibration dashboard. Nectar will also continue sharing broader performance updates as global results evolve.

Queen status, Frames of Bees and varroa-related data will appear in the Nectar app and Manager’s Portal, specifically in Insights and the Whiteboard. Meli calibration data can be viewed in the calibration dashboard.

Yes, though not entirely. Part of the Meli model learns from industry-wide data, while part of it is informed by your own operation. That is why calibration is important: it helps Meli account for your specific field conditions and management practices.

Full recalibration will not be required, though it can be helpful to audit the model from time to time. The model is designed to work across contexts, and as more beekeepers calibrate Meli in different regions and conditions, the system becomes better at interpreting those environments.

We recommend maintaining calibration as a regular practice to keep Meli performing at a high level. However, after the initial calibration period, the number of calibrated scans required will be significantly lower.

Meli results will remain strong no matter when you use it. However, all models can use regular correction to ensure the best results. After the initial calibration threshold is reached, the number of calibrated scans required is minimal. Still, we recommend that you continue calibrating occasionally throughout the season.

Different hive conditions produce different sound signatures. Meli has been trained on thousands of hive audio recordings and has learned to recognize patterns associated with specific hive conditions. As more recordings are processed and validated against real hive data, the prediction engine becomes stronger.

We recommend you use the sampling method that works best for your operation, whether that’s alcohol washes or sticky and drone boards.

No. You can sample after taking the Meli recording, as long as the sample is taken within a 10-day window. This helps ensure the field result is still relevant to the recording.

You can also sample before a Meli recording, as long as it’s not immediately before. This helps ensure that the hive isn’t disturbed during the recording.

Per 100 bees. You can now enter a decimal to mite counts.

We don’t know yet. We do know when the bees are clustered, Meli overestimates the FOB.

Yes. For now, when recording nucs, skip the hive configuration option. Soon, we’ll be adding an option to select ‘Nuc.’

Yes! Meli can be used when the bees are active, or clustered.

Yes! Please do!

Temperature can affect Meli readings indirectly because it affects bee behavior. However, the algorithm and recording device do not change based on temperature.

The predictive algorithm does not currently integrate weather data directly into the recording analysis. However, Meli scan results can be cross-referenced with weather data in Nectar to give you a fuller picture of the factors affecting hive conditions.

Yes. The model isn’t affected by time!

We recommend keeping noise near the hive to a minimum while recording. However, Meli is designed to identify and filter out some external noise when interpreting hive audio.