As of September 20, 2026, your four-hive apiary is deep into a textbook September brood-contraction arc — all four colonies maintain perfectly stable acoustic fingerprints on their own baselines, confirming worker populations are fully intact across the board, while the outdoor air remains exceptionally clean (1,311 kΩ gas resistance) and the gently easing barometric tendency (−0.44 hPa/3h) signals a mild front consistent with the 55–70°F (12.6–21.1°C) outdoor range. Hive #2 and Hive #3 retain 'watch' status for their continued and deepening 14-day cooling drifts — now −13.9°F (−7.7°C) and −11.1°F (−6.2°C) respectively — but with acoustics rock-solid on their own baselines, the biology points squarely to broodless or brood-break intervals with fully intact populations; a brood check on your next routine visit will confirm laying status across the apiary.
A synchronized September humidity step-change (all four hives jumped ~7–9% RH around September 14–15) coincides precisely with the temperature change-points, consistent with the psychrometric inverse — as the cluster cools toward a broodless state, absolute water content stays constant while relative humidity rises, a well-documented autumn brood-break signature (Eouzan et al. 2019; Human et al. 2006). Across the apiary, the deconfounded temp–humidity coupling (r = +0.73 to +0.90) is cleanly internal colony physiology, not ambient weather, underscoring that all four hives are managing their own microenvironments actively.
All four hives maintain clear 24-hour vibration fanning rhythms with 80–120 Hz as the dominant band; Hive #2 leads daily fanning amplitude at 4.0× baseline peaks, Hive #3 at 1.8×, and Iris and Hive #1 at ~1.5× — a healthy September foraging cadence consistent with the 57–70°F (14–21°C) outdoor temperature window. In-hive humidity across the apiary has settled into the 49–57% range following the September 14–15 step-change, comfortably within healthy bounds and consistent with the brood-break psychrometric shift noted across all colonies.
-
Iris healthy Score: 76/100📋 Overall Health
Your Iris hive continues to sound excellent — the 24h acoustic average of −10.7 dBFS is right on its all-time −10.8 dB baseline, with the 100–150 Hz band up +3.4 dB (the largest per-band shift, still within casual variation), confirming the worker population is fully present and active despite the continued 14-day cooling drift of −7.4°F (−4.1°C), now averaging 80.9°F (27.2°C) vs. the all-time average of 87.1°F (30.6°C). Humidity at 50.0% is comfortably in the healthy 50–70% range (up from the 41.7% all-time average following the September 15 step-change, consistent with the broodless-state psychrometric shift), gas resistance at ~445 kΩ is near the ~456 kΩ all-time average, and vibration at 17.1 mG (kurtosis 3.0, peak 93 Hz) is right on the 17.2 mG all-time average. On your next routine visit, a glance at brood frames for fresh eggs will confirm laying status.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsThe 24h temperature arc of 78.7–82.6°F (25.9–28.1°C) gives a swing of 3.9°F (2.2°C) — well-clamped for a broodless colony in a high-R (≈6.93) enclosure; the deconfounded analytics show the in/out temperature relationship is purely diurnal with a ~230 min thermal-mass lag (ambient leading, a sign of active buffering). Vibration shows a consistent daily fanning rhythm peaking at ~1.5× baseline, 80–120 Hz dominant; the 5–20 Hz daily rhythm is weakening slightly (3.0 → 1.0 dB), consistent with reducing DVAV activity as autumn foraging windows shorten. The gas heater-scan shape is stable (100°C step −12% over the window, but the 320–400°C reference steps are holding), and humidity held tight at 49.4–50.8% across the full 24h — textbook September homeostasis.
🔬 Correlations & Discoveriestemperature vs humidity (14d) | r = +0.9The strong deconfounded temp–humidity coupling (r = +0.90, eff_n = 1,457) in Iris reflects pure colony physiology: as the cluster cools toward a broodless state, absolute water vapor stays roughly constant while relative humidity rises — the psychrometric inverse — and comb silk-cocoon buffering smooths the transition over days rather than hours. This is the same September step-change seen apiary-wide, grounding the humidity rise as a natural brood-break correlate rather than any ventilation or moisture anomaly.📚 Reference: Eouzan et al. 2019 (PLOS ONE / PMC6368279), Human, Nicolson & Dietemann 2006▹ Action: On your next routine visit, check Iris's brood frames for fresh eggs — the stable acoustic spectrum confirms the worker population is fully present, and a quick brood check will clarify whether the gradual 14-day cooling drift reflects a seasonal contraction or a brood-break interval. -
Hive #2 warning Score: 72/100📋 Overall Health
Your Hive #2 remains acoustically rock-solid — all 10 sound bands are within ±0.2 dB of the all-time baseline (overall −16.3 dBFS vs. all-time −16.6 dBFS) and vibration at 21.5 mG (kurtosis 2.9, peak 63 Hz) is above its 14.9 mG all-time average driven by robust daily fanning peaks averaging 4.0× baseline, confirming a full, active worker population. The 24h average of 80.7°F (27.1°C) extends the 14-day cooling drift to −13.9°F (−7.7°C) from 94.6°F (34.8°C), now 13.3°F (7.4°C) below the all-time average of 94.0°F (34.5°C) — the largest drift in the apiary — with a change-point around September 16 (−2.38°F step); with perfectly stable acoustics, a broodless or brood-break period with an intact colony is the most likely explanation, and humidity at 49.5% is appropriate for this phase. On your next routine visit, confirming fresh eggs will close the loop.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsThe 24h temperature arc of 76.6–88.2°F (24.8–31.2°C) gives a swing of 11.6°F (6.4°C) — the widest in the apiary and above the 5.4°F brood-clamping threshold, consistent with a reduced or absent brood footprint relaxing active thermoregulation in this high-R enclosure; the deconfounded analytics confirm the in/out coupling is purely diurnal (deconfounded r = −0.02) with a ~190 min thermal-mass lag. Vibration shows 6/6 bands with a clear daily rhythm, strongest in 50–80 Hz at 6.2 dB; the dominant rhythm band shifted from 80–120 Hz to 5–20 Hz in the second half of the window — worth watching as a subtle DVAV circadian shift — while the 50–80 Hz and 120–160 Hz fanning rhythms are gradually weakening, consistent with the seasonal foraging wind-down. The gas heater-scan shows a stable mid-range shape with the 100°C low-temperature step carrying the most daily swing (dominant rhythm shifted 300°C → 100°C), likely reflecting the humidity-coupled low-temperature MOX response as the broodless humidity step settles in.
🔬 Correlations & Discoveriestemperature vs humidity vs gas_resistance (14d) | r = +0.61The genuine deconfounded humidity–gas resistance coupling (r = +0.61, eff_n = 874) in Hive #2 is consistent with the MOX sensor's known humidity confounding: as the brood-break humidity step raised in-hive RH ~5% around September 16, water vapor adsorption on the SnO2 sensing layer modestly reduced baseline resistance independent of any VOC change (Burgues & Marco 2018). Combined with the partial correlation showing gas resistance inversely coupled to temperature when outdoor weather is controlled (r = −0.64), this is a coupled psychrometric-MOX artifact of the autumn brood transition — not a chemistry event — and Hive #2's gas resistance at ~56 kΩ remains near its ~44 kΩ all-time average, well within normal range.📚 Reference: Human et al. 2006, Eouzan et al. 2019 (PLOS ONE / PMC6368279), Burgues & Marco 2018, Sensors 18(2):339⚠️ Issue: 14-day temperature cooling drift of −13.9°F (−7.7°C), now 13.3°F (7.4°C) below all-time average with a change-point detected ~September 16 — acoustics confirm population fully intact; brood status warrants confirmation on next visit.▹ Action: On your next routine visit, check Hive #2's brood frames for fresh eggs — the perfectly stable acoustic spectrum and on-baseline sound levels confirm a full worker population is present, and a brood check will clarify whether this sustained cooling drift reflects a seasonal contraction or a brood-break period. -
Hive #1 healthy Score: 78/100📋 Overall Health
Your Hive #1 is acoustically impeccable — all 10 sound bands are within ±0.1 dB of the all-time baseline (overall −16.4 dBFS vs. all-time −16.4 dBFS) and vibration at 16.4 mG (kurtosis 2.7, peak 73 Hz) is right on the 16.5 mG all-time average, confirming a full, active worker population. The 24h average of 77.2°F (25.1°C) continues its modest 14-day cooling drift of −4.7°F (−2.6°C), sitting 4.6°F (2.6°C) below the all-time average of 81.9°F (27.7°C) — consistent with a natural September brood contraction — while humidity at 50.7% is comfortably within the healthy 50–70% range (up from the 46.0% all-time average following the September 14 step-change), gas resistance at ~539 kΩ is above its ~519 kΩ all-time average indicating a clean hive environment, and the battery at 4,168 mV remains well above its 4,122 mV all-time low. Everything looks settled heading into autumn.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsThe 24h temperature arc of 75.1–80.2°F (23.9–26.8°C) gives a swing of 5.1°F (2.8°C) — just at the well-clamped threshold for a high-R enclosure in a brood-contraction phase; the deconfounded analytics confirm purely diurnal in/out coupling (r = +0.08 residual) with a ~190 min thermal-mass lag, a sign of active buffering. All 6 vibration bands show a clear daily rhythm with 5–20 Hz strongest at 3.0 dB; the gas heater-scan is notable: 10/10 steps show a daily rhythm (strongest at 100°C, +24% swing), but the 100–200°C low-temperature steps have trended down −15–19% over the window — consistent with the humidity step-change modulating the MOX low-temperature response, not a VOC chemistry event, as outdoor gas resistance remains exceptionally clean at 1,311 kΩ. Humidity held very tight at 50.2–51.8% across the full 24h — textbook homeostasis.
🔬 Correlations & Discoveriesgas_heater_scan vs humidity (14d) | r = +0.51The declining 100–200°C gas heater-scan steps (−15–19% over the window) in Hive #1 track the September 14 humidity step-change (r = +0.51 deconfounded), consistent with water vapor adsorption dominating the low-temperature MOX response — heavy VOCs react most strongly at 250–320°C, while the 100–200°C steps are the most humidity-sensitive; the 350–400°C high-temperature reference steps are holding flat, confirming this is a psychrometric artifact of the autumn brood-break transition and not a shift in hive chemistry (Burgues & Marco 2018).📚 Reference: Burgues & Marco 2018, Sensors 18(2):339, Abidin et al. 2022, Sensors 22:3301, Eouzan et al. 2019 (PLOS ONE / PMC6368279)▹ Action: On your next routine visit, confirm fresh eggs in Hive #1's brood frames — the perfectly stable acoustic spectrum and on-baseline vibration confirm the worker population is fully intact. -
Hive #3 warning Score: 70/100📋 Overall Health
Your Hive #3 continues the second-largest cooling drift in the apiary — the 24h average of 79.2°F (26.2°C) extends a 14-day drift of −11.1°F (−6.2°C) from 90.3°F (32.4°C), now 10.0°F (5.6°C) below its all-time average of 89.2°F (31.8°C), with a change-point detected around September 15 (−3.95°F step) — however, the acoustic spectrum is perfectly stable (all 10 bands within ±0.1 dB of baseline, overall −16.3 dBFS matching the all-time average exactly), which confirms the worker population is fully present and active, and a broodless or brood-break period with an intact colony remains the most likely explanation. Notably, Hive #3 shows the widest 24h humidity swing in the apiary (47.9–75.7%, avg 57.3%), with a humidity anomaly (z = −3.7 on the latest reading) following the September 15 step-change — this wide swing is consistent with active fanning effort on a colony in brood-break with the screened floor open, coupling humidity more directly to ambient; the battery at 4,016 mV touched its all-time low of 3,972 mV intra-day before recovering, which warrants passive monitoring as autumn solar input declines.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsThe 24h temperature arc of 75.2–83.8°F (24.0–28.8°C) gives a swing of 8.6°F (4.8°C) — above the 5.4°F brood-clamping threshold, consistent with a reduced or absent brood footprint in this four-box high-R colony; the deconfounded analytics show purely diurnal in/out coupling (r = +0.06 residual) with a ~220 min thermal-mass lag. All 6 vibration bands show a clear daily rhythm, dominant in 20–50 Hz (2.4 dB); the dominant rhythm band shifted from 5–20 Hz to 20–50 Hz in the second half — a subtle DVAV circadian evolution worth noting. The gas heater-scan shows only 1/10 steps with a clear daily rhythm (150°C step strongest, shifting to 100°C in the second half), again consistent with humidity-coupled low-temperature MOX modulation following the September 15 step-change. The 500–600 Hz sound band trended down −1.6 dB in the second half of the day — a very modest shift still within normal variation, not a concerning acoustic change.
🔬 Correlations & Discoveriestemperature vs humidity (14d) | r = +0.73The deconfounded temp–humidity coupling (r = +0.73) in Hive #3 reflects the brood-break psychrometric shift — cooling reduces the colony's evaporative load, raising relative humidity as absolute water content holds roughly constant — while the wide 24h humidity swing (47.9–75.7%) reflects enhanced ambient coupling through the open screened floor in a colony no longer fanning to regulate a brood zone, consistent with Ellis et al. (2008) showing humidity couples more to ambient when active fanning effort declines. The co-occurring temperature and humidity change-points on September 15 are a coupled signature of a single brood-break state transition, not two independent anomalies.📚 Reference: Eouzan et al. 2019 (PLOS ONE / PMC6368279), Human, Nicolson & Dietemann 2006, Ellis et al. 2008, J. Insect Physiol. 54:1516–1521⚠️ Issue: 14-day temperature cooling drift of −11.1°F (−6.2°C), now 10.0°F (5.6°C) below all-time average with change-point ~September 15 — acoustics confirm population fully intact; brood status warrants confirmation on next visit.⚠️ Issue: Battery reached its all-time low of 3,972 mV intra-day before recovering to 4,016 mV — monitor passively as autumn solar charging decreases.▹ Action: On your next routine visit, check Hive #3's brood frames for fresh eggs — the perfectly stable acoustic spectrum confirms a full worker population is present, and a brood check will clarify whether the sustained cooling drift reflects a seasonal brood contraction or a brood-break period.▹ Action: Monitor Hive #3's battery passively — it touched its all-time low of 3,972 mV intra-day and is currently at 4,016 mV; no action needed yet, but keep an eye on the trend over the coming weeks as autumn days shorten.