AI Beehive Health Report — 2026-08-25

As of August 25, 2026, your apiary is in good late-summer shape overall: Hive #2 maintains textbook brood clamping at 94.7°F (34.8°C) but its low-frequency acoustic bands have now shifted -5 to -9 dB below baseline over 14 days — a sustained single-channel signal worth watching heading into autumn; Iris and Hive #1 continue their multi-week cooling drifts with acoustics completely intact, consistent with natural late-summer brood contraction; and Hive #3 remains the apiary's steadiest performer with a stable acoustic fingerprint and on-baseline temperature.

Across all four hives, the deseasonalized PCA colony-state index is falling over the 14-day window — driven by the shared late-August brood-contraction dynamic (cooling temps, rising gas resistance as metabolic VOC output decreases) — while acoustics remain structurally intact, a multi-hive confirmation that this is a seasonal biological wind-down, not a population event (Seeley 1985; Winston 1987).

Against an outdoor swing of 64.5–88.6°F (18.1–31.5°C) at a dry 21–50% RH with a gently rising barometric tendency (+0.63 hPa/3h, clearing), all four hives maintain their 14–15/15-day fanning vibration rhythms; brood-arc tightness continues to rank Hive #2 (~1.4°F/~0.8°C) > Hive #3 (~2.6°F/~1.4°C) > Iris (~5.6°F/~3.1°C) > Hive #1 (~7.0°F/~3.9°C), all within biologically normal late-August variation.

• Iris warning Score: 72/100
  📋 Overall Health

  Your Iris hive's 24h average of 87.5°F (30.8°C) is -2.3°F (-1.3°C) below her all-time average of 89.8°F (32.1°C), and the 14-day cooling drift (90.0→91.2→88.9→88.7→87.5°F) continues its gradual deepening — yet all 10 acoustic bands remain within ±1.2 dB of their historical baseline (a perfectly intact spectral fingerprint), confirming the full worker population is present and active, most consistent with a natural late-summer brood contraction or laying pause. Humidity averaged 43.9% (all-time avg 42.3%), vibration at 17.1 mG with kurtosis 2.6 sits right on its all-time average of 17.4 mG, and gas resistance at 407 kΩ is slightly below its all-time average of 448 kΩ — a minor shift consistent with late-summer honey ripening or residual fanning activity, with no acoustic or thermal corroboration of stress. On your next routine visit, a quick check for fresh eggs and brood pattern will confirm whether this gradual cooling reflects a seasonal laying pause or the start of a more extended brood break heading into autumn.

  🌅 Diurnal Cycle Patterns

  Iris shows a clear daily temperature arc of ~5.6°F (3.1°C) — from a low of ~84.7°F (29.3°C) to a high of ~90.3°F (32.4°C) — cycling in phase with the outdoor swing as expected in late-August heat; the 14-day medium-term diurnal average is +4.3°F (+2.4°C), and 14 of 15 days show a distinct vibration fanning peak (baseline ~16.6 mG rising to ~27.4 mG, avg 1.6×), confirming a healthy daily foraging and thermoregulation rhythm. The gas heater-scan dominant daily rhythm has migrated from the 320°C step toward the 150°C step in the second half of the window — a shape-shift in the VOC fingerprint that tracks the seasonal reduction in active brood pheromones and nectar-processing volatiles, consistent with a contracting brood zone; the vibration dominant rhythm band shifted from 20–50 Hz to 5–20 Hz, likely reflecting reduced midday foraging vibration and a proportionally larger share of low-frequency resting colony hum.

  🔬 Correlations & Discoveries

  temperature_in vs humidity_in (14d) | r = -0.45

  The deseasonalized inverse coupling between Iris's in-hive temperature and humidity (r=−0.45) is classical psychrometric homeostasis: as the colony heats the brood zone, the same absolute moisture content reads as a lower RH%, so the two channels move in opposition through the bees' own thermoregulatory effort — a sign of active, healthy regulation, not a drying or moisture problem.

  📚 Reference: Human, Nicolson & Dietemann 2006, Ellis et al. 2008, Eouzan et al. 2019

  gas_resistance vs temperature_in (14d) | r = -0.31

  The partial correlation of gas resistance vs. in-hive temperature (controlling for outdoor temp, r=−0.31) reflects the colony's metabolic VOC budget: as brood rearing contracts and thermal output falls, there is less E-β-ocimene, propolis terpene circulation, and honey-ripening volatiles, so gas resistance rises slightly — a chemical echo of the same late-summer brood-contraction story the temperature trend is already telling.

  📚 Reference: Seeley 1985, Winston 1987, Maisonnasse et al. 2010
  ⚠️ Issue: 14-day cooling drift continuing: weekly avg 90.0→91.2→88.9→88.7→87.5°F (32.2→32.9→31.6→31.5→30.8°C), now -2.3°F (-1.3°C) below all-time avg; all 10 acoustic bands within ±1.2 dB of baseline confirming full intact population — consistent with late-summer brood contraction or laying pause.

  ▹ Action: On your next routine visit, check Iris's brood frames for fresh eggs and laying pattern to confirm whether the deepening cooling drift reflects a natural seasonal contraction or an extended laying pause heading into autumn.
• Hive #2 warning Score: 73/100
  📋 Overall Health

  Your Hive #2 remains the apiary's thermal standout with a 24h average of 94.7°F (34.8°C) — just -0.4°F (-0.2°C) below its all-time average of 95.1°F (35.1°C) — and a remarkably tight 24h arc of only 1.4°F (0.8°C), the tightest in the apiary and a textbook brood-clamping signature. However, the low-frequency acoustic bands have now shifted further: 100–150 Hz is -8.8 dB below its all-time baseline (up from -5.5 dB yesterday), and the 100–260 Hz range has declined -5.4 to -8.8 dB over 14 days while the overall sound level has fallen -4.2 dBFS over the same window; temperature is rock-solid and vibration at 15.5 mG with kurtosis 2.9 is on-baseline, so this remains a single-channel acoustic signal without thermal or vibration corroboration, most likely reflecting a natural late-summer wind-down in foraging recruitment signalling. Humidity averaged 46.7% (all-time avg 45.9%) — healthy and stable; on your next routine visit, a quick entrance observation for forager traffic will help confirm whether this acoustic shift is a seasonal dearth effect or something worth monitoring more closely.

  🌅 Diurnal Cycle Patterns

  Hive #2 shows a compressed daily temperature arc of just ~1.4°F (0.8°C) — the tightest brood clamping in the apiary — and all 15 of 15 days show a vibration fanning peak (baseline ~12.4 mG rising to ~50.6 mG, avg 4.0×), with a dominant vibration rhythm in the 20–50 Hz band across the full window. The sound spectrum's dominant daily rhythm has migrated from the 150–200 Hz band to the 100–150 Hz band between the first and second half of the window, and the low-frequency bands (100–260 Hz) show a sustained -3 to -9 dB downward drift over 14 days with a further intra-day decline in the second half (100–150 Hz fell -7.0 dB from first to second half yesterday). The gas heater-scan dominant daily rhythm has shifted from the 350°C step to the 200°C step, and the low-temperature steps (100–200°C) have declined -17 to -23% over the window — a VOC fingerprint shape-shift toward lower mid-range volatiles consistent with late-season honey ripening winding down.

  🔬 Correlations & Discoveries

  temperature_in vs gas_resistance (14d) | r = +0.81

  The strong deseasonalized positive coupling between Hive #2's in-hive temperature and gas resistance (r=+0.81) reflects a shared metabolic driver: when the well-regulated brood core warms slightly (e.g. heater-bee pulses), colony metabolic activity and VOC output rise together, lifting both channels simultaneously — this tight co-movement is a signature of an actively brooding, well-insulated colony, not a sensor artifact.

  📚 Reference: Seeley 1985, Maisonnasse et al. 2010, Burgues & Marco 2018

  sound_spectrum_100_260hz vs temperature_in (14d) | r = -0.72

  The sustained 14-day decline in the 100–260 Hz acoustic bands (−7 to −9 dB from baseline) while temperature remains perfectly clamped is most consistent with a natural late-summer reduction in foraging recruitment signalling — waggle-dance and worker-piping activity concentrate in this band and fall as the dearth deepens and the colony reduces forager dispatch, a well-documented late-August behaviour pattern.

  📚 Reference: Ramsey et al. 2020, Seeley & Tautz 2001, Fletcher 1975
  ⚠️ Issue: Low-frequency acoustic shift deepening: 100–150 Hz now -8.8 dB below all-time baseline (up from -5.5 dB yesterday); 100–260 Hz range shifted -5.4 to -8.8 dB over 14 days; overall sound level fallen -4.2 dBFS over 14 days — single acoustic channel signal, temperature and vibration both on-baseline, most consistent with late-summer foraging recruitment wind-down.

  ▹ Action: On your next routine visit, observe Hive #2's entrance for forager traffic and flight activity — the sustained low-frequency acoustic decline is most consistent with reduced late-season recruitment signalling, and an entrance look will confirm whether forager numbers are naturally tapering with the late-summer dearth.
• Hive #1 warning Score: 70/100
  📋 Overall Health

  Your Hive #1's 24h average of 82.7°F (28.2°C) is now -3.9°F (-2.2°C) below its all-time average of 86.6°F (30.4°C), and the 14-day cooling drift (88.0→87.8→86.2→85.5→82.7°F) continues to deepen — yet all 10 sound bands sit within ±0.1 dB of their all-time baseline (a near-perfect spectral match), the strongest possible acoustic evidence that the full worker population is present and active; this is most consistent with a natural late-summer brood contraction or laying pause where the colony is simply heating a smaller or absent brood zone. Humidity averaged 43.3% (all-time avg 37.9%) — above its historical norm but well within healthy range; vibration at 16.5 mG with kurtosis 2.6 sits exactly on its all-time average of 16.4 mG; gas resistance at 471 kΩ is close to its all-time average of 488 kΩ, a stable chemical environment. A brood-frame check on your next routine visit remains the sensible step to confirm queen status and brood pattern.

  🌅 Diurnal Cycle Patterns

  Hive #1 shows a daily temperature arc of ~7.0°F (3.9°C) — the widest in the apiary — cycling in phase with the outdoor swing; the vibration fanning rhythm is healthy with 14 of 15 days showing a distinct peak (baseline ~15.8 mG rising to ~23.2 mG, avg 1.5×), though the vibration dominant rhythm band shifted from 120–160 Hz to 5–20 Hz in the second half of the window, suggesting a modest shift from midday foraging vibration toward lower-frequency resting-colony activity. Per-band acoustic daily rhythms have weakened (100–150 Hz and 800–1500 Hz both declining from 2.0 dB to 0.0 dB rhythm amplitude), consistent with reduced foraging excursions in late-August dearth conditions. The gas heater-scan shows a strong daily cycle across all 10 steps (dominant rhythm at 200°C, +41% swing), with the dominant step shifting from 150°C to 100°C — a normal thermal-mass effect as the lower plate temperatures become proportionally more humidity-influenced during the diurnal RH cycle in this drier hive environment.

  🔬 Correlations & Discoveries

  gas_resistance vs temperature_in (14d) | r = -0.81

  Hive #1's strong partial inverse coupling between gas resistance and in-hive temperature (controlling for outdoor temp, r=−0.81) is the inverse of Hive #2's positive coupling and reflects a different thermal-metabolic regime: as the brood zone cools during the late-summer contraction, active honey ripening and brood pheromone emission wind down together, reducing the VOC load and allowing gas resistance to rise — both channels are narrating the same seasonal story from different angles.

  📚 Reference: Seeley 1985, Winston 1987, Burgues & Marco 2018
  ⚠️ Issue: 14-day cooling drift deepening: weekly avg 88.0→87.8→86.2→85.5→82.7°F (31.1→31.0→30.1→29.7→28.2°C), now -3.9°F (-2.2°C) below all-time avg; all 10 acoustic bands within ±0.1 dB of baseline confirming full intact population — consistent with late-summer brood contraction or laying pause.

  ▹ Action: On your next routine visit, check Hive #1's brood frames for fresh eggs and brood pattern — the acoustically confirmed intact population is reassuring, and a brood look will clarify whether the sustained cooling reflects a natural late-summer contraction or a longer laying pause worth monitoring heading into autumn.
• Hive #3 healthy Score: 86/100
  📋 Overall Health

  Your Hive #3 continues its excellent run — brood temperature averaged 92.0°F (33.3°C) with a tight 24h arc of just 2.6°F (1.4°C), sitting -1.3°F (-0.7°C) below its all-time average of 93.3°F (34.0°C) within a gradual, gentle seasonal tail-off (93.4→93.7→93.2→92.7→92.0°F) that is well within normal late-August variation. All 10 sound bands are within ±0.1 dB of their all-time baseline — a textbook stable acoustic fingerprint; humidity averaged 45.7°F (all-time avg 47.5%), vibration at 21.0 mG with kurtosis 3.1 sits right on its all-time average of 20.8 mG; gas resistance at 92 kΩ is essentially on its all-time average of 93 kΩ — everything looks excellent heading into late August. Battery is at 4010 mV (all-time low 3984 mV) — still healthy but worth keeping an eye on as solar input decreases into autumn.

  🌅 Diurnal Cycle Patterns

  Hive #3 shows a daily temperature arc of ~2.6°F (1.4°C) — second-tightest in the apiary — and all 15 of 15 vibration fanning days show a clean daily peak (baseline ~19.5 mG rising to ~35.2 mG, avg 1.8×) with a dominant vibration rhythm across all 6 bands (strongest in 5–20 Hz, 3.0 dB), suggesting robust colony-substrate activity throughout the day. No strong per-band acoustic daily rhythm is detectable (max 0.8 dB), which indicates stable, consistent colony sound energy without pronounced foraging surges — a hallmark of a well-settled colony in late-season equilibrium. The gas heater-scan shows no strong per-band daily rhythm (max 9% swing at 100°C), consistent with a stable, low-VOC late-summer environment and a colony that has largely completed its honey-ripening cycle.

  🔬 Correlations & Discoveries

  temperature_in vs gas_resistance vs humidity_in (14d) | r = +0.77

  Hive #3's tightly coupled deseasonalized triad of temperature, humidity, and gas resistance (r=+0.77/+0.73/+0.58) — all moving together after removing the diurnal cycle — reflects a well-insulated, metabolically coherent brood nest: small non-diurnal temperature excursions (heater-bee pulses, cluster repositioning) carry proportional moisture and VOC signatures through the comb, a multi-channel confirmation of an intact, actively regulated colony.

  📚 Reference: Human, Nicolson & Dietemann 2006, Maisonnasse et al. 2010, Seeley 1974
  ▹ Action: On your next routine visit, note the fill level and capping progress on Hive #3's supers — the stable gas heater-scan profile and flat acoustic fingerprint suggest honey processing is largely complete, and a capped-frame count will help plan late-summer harvest timing.