From “Spray & Pray” to Precision Farming: Jake Moore on The End of Guesswork in Beekeeping

From “Spray & Pray” to Precision Farming: Jake Moore on The End of Guesswork in Beekeeping

What does it actually take to run a profitable beekeeping operation in 2026?In this episode of the Nectar Podcast, Sam sits down with Jake Moore — a second-generation commercial beekeeper running 3,000+ hives in Texas — to talk about his unique approach to beekeeping: specifically, using regular data sampling to make disciplined decisions.Instead of the industry-standard “spray and pray” approach, Jake samples 10–20% of his hives on nearly every visit — using that information to prioritize yard visits, and decide what kinds of inputs yards need.The result: lower input costs, higher survival rates, and a fundamentally different way of thinking about the operation.This conversation covers: * Why most beekeepers are over-treating (and wasting money) * How sampling creates “checks and balances” for instincts * How Jake identified hidden mortality trends across regions * Why the future of beekeeping is moving from operation → yard → hive-level decisions * How tools like Nectar (and Meli) could make full-hive sampling possible At a time when input costs are rising and honey prices are stagnant, this isn’t just about better beekeeping — it’s about survival.

What Your Hive Data Is Trying to Tell You with Nectar CTO Nico Coallier

Beekeepers collect an enormous amount of information from their hives — but turning that information into real insight is much harder than it seems.In this episode of the Nectar Podcast, we sit down with Nico Coallier, CTO of Nectar Technologies, to talk about how better data — and better sampling — can change the way beekeepers understand their colonies.Nico is a researcher and technologist who has spent years studying colony monitoring, sampling methods, and digital tools for commercial beekeeping. In this conversation, he explains why sampling strategy is one of the most important (and most overlooked) aspects of hive management, and how the way you choose which hives to inspect can dramatically affect the conclusions you draw about your operation.We also explore Meli, Nectar’s AI diagnostics tool, that analyzes hive sound to provide new signals about colony health and activity. Along the way, Nico discusses his research into colony movement, and how new tools are helping beekeepers better understand what’s happening inside the hive between inspections.Finally, we talk about Cubee, a mushroom-based hive supplement, and how Nectar is thinking about the broader ecosystem of products that support stronger colonies.Whether you manage thousands of colonies or just want to think more deeply about how hive data works, this episode explores how biology, technology, and field experience are shaping the future of beekeeping.

The Big Picture at Nectar - with CEO Marc-Andre Roberge & COO Max Cherney

Marc and Max meet with Nectar marketing specialist Sam Venis to discuss what's happening at Nectar & the future of digital beekeeping.

Building Crews That Take Ownership — with Scott Barnes

What does it really mean to build a crew that takes ownership?In this episode of the Nectar Podcast, Max sits down with Scott Barnes of St. Joe Valley Apiaries to talk about leadership, trust, and what it takes to scale an operation to over 10,000 hives when you can’t be everywhere at once.Scott shares how, one year into his Nectar integration, the most meaningful feedback didn’t come from dashboards or reports—but from his crew. From bringing his top employees to industry conferences to giving his team real responsibility in the field, Scott believes that strong operations are built by people who feel invested in the outcome.

What Is Yard Pass-Through Mortality — And Why It Matters

Max breaks down the ins and outs of Yard Pass-Through Mortality Rate—a new ready-made report that shows the percentage of hives that have died after passing through each of your yard locations. Not just where they died, but where they traveled before they died. Traditionally, beekeepers could only link mortality to the yard where losses were discovered. This new report makes it possible to isolate the impact of a specific yard, even if that yard wasn’t where the hives ultimately failed. We believe this must become a key performance indicator for every beekeeper running a commercial operation. You can use this insight to: * Identify yards that are quietly hurting your hives — even if you don’t see it right away. * Start productive conversations with your growers, shifting from blame to problem-solving. * Develop a baseline by crop type or region, then quickly flag outliers when things go wrong. * Decide where to place your strongest colonies, splits, or queens based on historical performance. * Build a defensible case in situations like pesticide drift, grower disputes, or insurance claims.