FAQ

Sensors & software

What are the different BroodMinder apps ?

The BroodMinder app (also called BroodMinder Lite) is the basic free application. With this app, you can visualize your sensors, send your data by e-mail, see different graphs, annotate your inspections, etc.

BroodMinder Apiary is a more powerful app. It makes it possible to download data from all your BroodMinder sensors in a single step. This is an efficient time-saver for users that have many sensors. The app is free but requires a subscription for productivity features.

BroodMinder Cell is the app for controlling Hubs.

Retrieving data from sensors

Do the sensors record the measurements?

Each sensor has an internal memory. Every hour they measure data and store it in their memory. The storage capacity is about one year of measurements. We often see sensors with more than 7000 readings! (365*24=8760 readings/year). This memory can be emptied either by removing the battery for a few seconds or from the mobile application. Of course before doing this, make sure that you have synchronized the data with mybroodminder!

How do I recover data with a smartphone?

You must go to your apiary with a smartphone that has one of the BroodMinder apps (Lite or Apiary). If you have a free account, the synchronization will be done sensor by sensor. All sensors communicate via Bluetooth. The smartphone's coverage distance is a few meters.

How does data recovery from a Hub work?

The Hub provides you with real-time monitoring. You have access to all alerts and can anticipate your work on the apiary before you even get there. The Hub is available in two versions - Wifi & GSM - depending on your connectivity. This transmitter must be placed in the center of your apiary. It will collect and transmit data automatically, whether you have a single or dozens of sensors within a radius of about 20 meters.

What can I do if I can't synchronize my hives ?

The Bluetooth coverage distance depends on many factors. On some hives, this coverage can be limited. Position yourself as close as possible to the hive and try again following the instructions. If another failure occurs, contact us at support@mellisphera.com.

Battery

Is the battery replaceable?

Yes, all batteries are button type CR203 and can be found in any large store.

How long does the battery last?

Under normal conditions, the battery lasts more than a year. We recommended you to replace it during the autumn harvest. We will notify you when it is time to replace it.

Do BroodMinder sensors last more than a year?

Don't worry as long as the battery is replaced. The sensors will last for many years.

Login & settings

What can I do if I can't log in Mellisphera ?

Contact us via the link below the login button. We will help you as fast as possible.

I'd like to explore Mellisphera but I'm not equipped yet

You can use our demo account. You will visualize data from a few hives so you can see the solution functionalities. Browse and edit freely, we reset the account every night!

Account Settings

Where can I change the language, date format, units & weather source?

You have access to all your account settings in the top right corner of the Mellisphera app.

You can change as you wish the unit system (metric or imperial), the date format and the language.

Data

When is the data updated?

The hourly data is updated every hour if new data is available.

Daily data (weather, brood, weight, etc.) is updated twice a day so that every morning in Europe and America the data is available: between 6:30 and 7:30 and between 12:30 and 13:30 UTC.

Computing daily data :

Time UTC	Paris CET	NewYork EDT
6:00	7:00	1:00
12:00	13:00	7:00

(*) note that it may apply +1h in summer time.

Finally, we retrieve your missing data and readjust the data from devices and hives that have changed location over the day every night (between 1:00 and 3:00 UTC).

I don't have any data when I log in, why ?

Your data is loaded each time you log in. At your first connection, the process may be long if you have many sensors. Be patient, it can take up to ten minutes at your very first connection.

Moving a sensor or a hive

How do I move my sensor to another hive or my hive to another apiary ?

In case you would like to move your sensor or your hive, you must go to MyBroodMinder.com to complete your change. In the 'Configure' section, click on 'Location History' for the involved sensor or on 'Apiary History' for the concerned hive.

On these sections, you have an overview of your sensor and hive locations. You can also modify/add a new location for your sensor or your hive. Don't forget to specify the start and end dates for all locations. The data are assigned to the hive only from the date/time indicated.

You will see these changes in Mellisphera the next time you log in. Your data history will be kept on the previous hive and you will see the new data arriving on the hive mentioned in the new location.

One of my hive is dead. Can I declare it dead and no longer see it in the app?

Yes! Simply go to MyBroodMinder.com in the 'Configure' section. In the 'Hives' menu, you can 'deactivate' the dead hive. When you log back in to Mellisphera, you will no longer see it. However, your data will remain and you will still find it.

Please note that this action is irreversible. You won't have the possibility to reactivate this hive, but it is possible to create a new one with the same name.

What can I do if my moon & weather calendars are empty?

If your calendars are empty, please check if you filled in the 'Postal Code' and 'Country Code' fields when you created your apiary. If you want to check it, go to MyBroodMinder > Configure > Apiaries.

In order to collect moon and weather data, we need to know a bit about your apiary location. If your settings are correct, your calendars should look like this:

My weather calendar indicates that it rained a lot yesterday, but it didn't. Why ?

Weather services are based on models and locations that are not always accurate. In some cases, your data may be slightly different from reality. If you are not satisfied with the results, you can change your weather source in the Mellisphera account settings (see above in the settings section).

My hive lost a lot of weight yesterday due to the removal of a supper but I can't see it in the weight chart. Why ?

The "weight" chart displays the daily productivity of your connected hives. We calculate every day your hive weight - the consumption of your bees. This means that we do not take into account your operations (nourishment, supper removal or addition, etc.) or excessive weight variations due to swarming for example.

I get several weight measurements every day, I don't understand what they mean.

This means that you have several scales assigned to your hive. Please check your sensor assignments on MyBroodMinder.com. If this is on purpose, you can check or uncheck (on top of the calendar) the sensor you want to display. All weight sensors are displayed by defaults.

Why do I have white stickers on my apiary picture?

When you have a white sticker (without color), it means that there is no data associated with this sensor at the selected time. The reasons can be multiple, but the main cause is a transmission or a synchronization problem.

I don't want to see any more weather alerts on my calendar, is it possible ?

Yes! You can modify and customize the alerts as you wish. Simply go to the alert settings.

However, please note that this action is not retroactive. The modification will be active from the moment you change the settings - we don't go back to the alert history. The changes mde will only affect the new alerts. Be careful, the message displayed when you hover over the alerts only depends on your current settings. Changes will be immediately effective in your event calendars.

I don't get any alert by email, why ?

The email sending is by default deactivated. You must go to the alert settings (see green button), then go to the settings (see below).

You can activate it simply by clicking 'ON'. By default, your login email is written in the 'Email 1' box but you can modify it or add a second one. Emails will be sent to both addresses if you choose to enter two. You can test that this is working by pressing the test button - an email will be instantly sent to you.

Lastly, you can set the sending frequency as you wish. In this email, you will find a summary of the past & future events, but also a summary of your hive and sensor status.

One of my sensors is displayed in red, what does that mean?

Indeed, in the 'My Apiary' section of Mellisphera, you can check your sensor status in the 'Sensor' tab. In this case, this means that there is actually a problem with your sensor. If your sensor is displayed in orange or red, we recommend you to go and check it. When you hover the sensor, the message displayed can give you some indications (see above). The battery might be low or if you are equipped with a Hub, your sensor might have a signal problem. We recommend you anyway to go and check your device.

Mellisphera has an alert system that notifies you when this type of event happens on your hive. We can therefore inform you by email (as long as you have activated the email option) of your sensor status.

Sharing

Is there any way to share my data with the community?

Yes! On MyBroodminder, you can select different ways of sharing:

• share your sensor readings with https://beecounted.org, a collaborative science initiative

• share your scale readings with Bee Informed Partnership https://beeinformed.org/

• share one or more of your apiaries with other Broodminder/Mellisphera users

Please note that every free account by default share the sensor data on beecounted.org.

Will people know where my hive is?

No. We don't and won't know the exact location of your apiary. We only know the zip code. Your apiary will be then displayed on your local church tower. :)

Can I see this public data?

Yes, simply go to BeeCounted.org. There you can visualize dozens of hives from beekeepers all over the world!

Can I share my apiaries with my beekeeper friends?

This feature is not yet available on Mellisphera, but this is possible on MyBroodMinder. Go to Configuring/Finding/Sharing. Choose the o's, select an apiary and click on "sharing". You only need to enter the email of the user you want to share with.

Once shared, your apiary will be visible from their own account in read-only mode.