As of September 29, 2026, all four colonies carry acoustically intact worker populations with sound spectra stable or elevated against their own baselines — confirming no population loss anywhere — while the September cooling arc continues as expected across the apiary; Iris remains the sole watch item with its sustained louder-than-baseline acoustic signature and ongoing brood-break cooling trend now entering a third week, and a falling barometer (−1.17 hPa/3h) may briefly suppress foraging activity across the apiary.
All four hives maintain clear daily fanning/vibration rhythms with 80–120 Hz as the dominant vibration band and outdoor temperature leading in-hive by 2–6 hours (thermal-mass buffering of the Apimaye poly enclosures); outdoor conditions remain clean (871 kΩ gas resistance) with a 57.5–66.5°F (14.2–19.1°C) daily range and a gently falling barometer signaling a weather system moving through — expect a brief quieting of foraging activity that will self-resolve as pressure recovers.
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Iris warning Score: 74/100📋 Overall Health
Your Iris hive continues to display its now-three-week louder-than-ever acoustic signature: the 24h avg of −9.1 dBFS sits +1.5 dB above the all-time baseline of −10.6 dB, with the 100–150 Hz band elevated +6.0 dB above its historical norm — confirming a full and highly engaged worker population; temperature has drifted further to a 24h avg of 77.5°F (25.3°C), now −6.2°F (−3.4°C) below the all-time avg of 83.7°F (28.7°C) along a 14-day −7.5°F (−4.2°C) cooling arc, most consistent with a broodless interval or brood contraction in which the workers are simply not heating a full brood zone — exactly what the louder acoustics confirm. Humidity sits at a healthy 66.9% avg and vibration kurtosis is normal at 3.2 (80–120 Hz dominant); on your next routine visit, a brood-frame check will clarify whether Iris is in a requeening gap or seasonal contraction.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsIris shows a clear daily temperature oscillation of +8.8°F (+4.9°C) peak-to-trough — moderate for an Apimaye poly enclosure — and a daily vibration rhythm peaking ~1.5× above baseline (14 of 15 days), consistent with normal fanning and foraging activity; the 100–150 Hz sound band has strengthened +4.1 dB over 14 days and carries the strongest daily rhythm (2.1 dB swing), while the gas heater-scan shows a daily rhythm migrating from the 150°C step toward the 200°C step (the 200°C swing strengthening from +9% to +30%), suggesting a gradual shift in the mix of mid-weight volatiles — consistent with autumn propolis-sealing activity rather than any pathological signal.
🔬 Correlations & Discoveriessound_100_150hz vs temperature (14d) | r = +0.67The genuine deconfounded r=+0.67 between in-hive temperature and humidity (both rising together in residual space) reflects active hygroregulation: as the brood zone warms with fanning effort, evaporative water from bees and stores raises RH — a healthy metabolic coupling (Human et al. 2006); simultaneously the sustained +6.0 dB elevation in 100–150 Hz with a stable-to-rising temperature trend confirms the worker population is fully present and engaged in fanning and propolis work, not contracting — the louder-than-ever low-band energy is the acoustic fingerprint of intensified autumn colony preparation, consistent with Ramsey et al. 2020 pre-winter acoustic shifts.📚 Reference: Stalidzans et al. 2017, Ramsey et al. 2020, Seeley & Tautz 2001⚠️ Issue: 14-day cooling drift of −7.5°F (−4.2°C): 24h avg now 77.5°F (25.3°C), −6.2°F (−3.4°C) below all-time avg — acoustics are louder than baseline confirming full worker population; consistent with broodless interval or seasonal brood contraction; queen/brood status worth confirming on next routine visit.▹ Action: On your next routine visit, check Iris's brood frames for fresh eggs — the louder-than-ever acoustic profile (100–150 Hz up +6.0 dB, overall −9.1 dBFS vs −10.6 dB baseline) confirms a full and active worker population, and a quick brood check will clarify whether the ongoing cooling trend reflects a requeening gap or normal autumn brood contraction. -
Hive #2 healthy Score: 82/100📋 Overall Health
Your Hive #2 has now held a stable and recovering brood temperature for a full 24 hours: the 24h avg of 90.0°F (32.2°C) shows a remarkably tight 89.1–91.0°F (31.7–32.8°C) range — just below the ideal 93–97°F (34–36°C) brood band but rising steadily and clamped with only 1.9°F (1.1°C) diurnal swing, strongly consistent with brood rearing actively resuming after the confirmed September 19 broodless interval; the acoustic spectrum remains perfectly stable (all 10 bands within ±0.8 dB of baseline, avg −16.6 dBFS matching the all-time −16.5 dBFS exactly), confirming the adult population was intact throughout. Humidity at 58.7% avg sits comfortably in the healthy 50–70% range, vibration kurtosis is a normal 3.6 (80–120 Hz dominant), and the gas heater-scan at ~43 kΩ (vs all-time avg 50.8 kΩ) reflects rising brood-pheromone and propolis volatile load as the colony restores its brood nest — a brood check on your next routine visit will close out the watch.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsHive #2 now shows the tightest diurnal temperature clamping in the apiary at only 1.9°F (1.1°C) peak-to-trough — a strong indicator of active brood thermoregulation kicking back in; the vibration rhythm is notable with all 6 bands showing a daily cycle (dominant rhythm band shifted from 160–200 Hz toward 80–120 Hz in the second half of the window, consistent with a transition from sustained fanning to general colony activity), with daily peaks reaching ~3.3× baseline (53.2 mG peaks vs 16.5 mG base); the gas heater-scan shows strong daily rhythms in all 10 steps, with the 100°C and 150°C low-temperature steps showing the strongest swings (+41% and +39%) and strengthening over time — reflecting the diurnal CO2/water-vapor cycle of an increasingly metabolically active brood nest.
🔬 Correlations & Discoveriestemperature vs gas_resistance (14d) | r = -0.7The deconfounded r=−0.70 (partial r=−0.93 controlling for outdoor weather) between in-hive temperature and gas resistance reflects a well-established hive-physiology coupling: as brood rearing intensifies and colony temperature rises, E-β-ocimene brood pheromone, propolis terpenes, and respiratory CO2/volatile metabolites all increase in step — driving the MOX resistance lower; this is the chemical signature of a healthy, expanding brood nest, not a stress signal, and the correlation's strength (p=1.6e-17) makes it one of the most reliable biological relationships in this colony's telemetry record (Maisonnasse et al. 2010; Seeley 1974).📚 Reference: Maisonnasse et al. 2010, Seeley 1974, Bencsik et al. 2023▹ Action: On your next routine visit, check Hive #2's brood frames for fresh eggs — the stable acoustics and tightening temperature clamping at 90.0°F (32.2°C) are encouraging signs of a colony returning to full brood production, and confirming fresh eggs will close out the September 19 broodless-interval watch. -
Hive #1 healthy Score: 88/100📋 Overall Health
Your Hive #1 remains the thermal stability anchor of the apiary: the 24h avg of 86.0°F (30.0°C) is +5.3°F (+2.9°C) above the all-time avg of 80.7°F (27.1°C) and holding with an exceptionally narrow 24h swing of just 85.1–86.8°F (29.5–30.4°C) = 1.7°F (0.9°C) — textbook tight brood-nest clamping for an Apimaye poly enclosure; the acoustic spectrum is perfectly stable (all 10 bands within ±0.2 dB of baseline, 24h avg −16.3 dBFS matching the all-time −16.4 dBFS), confirming a full and active worker population. Humidity at 55.4% avg sits comfortably in the healthy 50–70% range, vibration kurtosis 2.8 is normal (80–120 Hz dominant), and the 14-day warming drift of +6.3°F (+3.5°C) — the only hive trending warmer this month — likely reflects expanding brood activity or favorable sun-exposure position heading into autumn.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsHive #1 shows the narrowest daily temperature oscillation in the apiary at only +4.8°F (+2.6°C) avg, consistent with active brood thermoregulation in a well-insulated poly enclosure; vibration shows a daily rhythm in the 5–20 Hz band (3.0 dB swing) with peaks reaching ~1.5× baseline across 14 of 15 days, and a gas heater-scan with 8/10 steps showing daily rhythms (strongest at 150°C, +24% swing) — reflecting the normal diurnal ventilation and metabolic cycling of a healthy brood colony; notably a gas change-point around September 25 stepped the 320°C reference down by ~102 kΩ, coinciding with the warming trend and consistent with increased propolis work or honey-ripening VOCs as the colony consolidates autumn stores.
🔬 Correlations & Discoveriestemperature vs gas_resistance (14d) | r = -0.52The deconfounded r=−0.52 (partial r=−0.85 controlling for outdoor weather) between in-hive temperature and gas resistance in Hive #1 mirrors the same brood-metabolic coupling seen in Hive #2: a warming colony generating more brood pheromones, propolis terpenes, and respiratory volatiles that reduce MOX resistance in step; the September 25 gas change-point (−102 kΩ step) coinciding with the colony's warming trend is consistent with accelerated propolis-sealing activity — a well-documented autumn behaviour in which bees actively close gaps with VOC-rich resins as temperatures drop (Bankova et al. 2000).📚 Reference: Maisonnasse et al. 2010, Bankova et al. 2000, Seeley 1985▹ Action: On your next routine visit, confirm fresh eggs in Hive #1's brood frames — everything here is settled and this colony's continued warmth and perfectly stable acoustics make it the apiary's most confident heading into autumn. -
Hive #3 warning Score: 74/100📋 Overall Health
Your Hive #3's acoustic spectrum is completely stable — all 10 bands within ±0.3 dB of their historical baseline, 24h avg −16.3 dBFS matching the all-time −16.3 dBFS — confirming the adult worker population is fully intact and active; with a 24h avg temperature of 79.1°F (26.2°C) sitting −4.6°F (−2.5°C) below the all-time avg of 83.7°F (28.7°C) along a 14-day −7.4°F (−4.1°C) cooling drift, the most likely explanation is a broodless or brood-reduced interval in which the bees simply are not heating a full brood zone right now, exactly as the stable acoustics confirm. Humidity ranged 49.0–66.2% (avg 56.2%) — healthy and within the 50–70% brood range on average — vibration kurtosis is a normal 3.0 (80–120 Hz dominant), and a brood check on your next routine visit will confirm whether Hive #3 is in a natural autumn brood contraction or a brief requeening gap.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsHive #3 shows a daily temperature oscillation of +8.6°F (+4.8°C) avg — moderate for a four-box poly colony — with all 6 vibration bands displaying a daily cycle (dominant rhythm band shifting from 80–120 Hz toward 5–20 Hz in the second half of the window, possibly reflecting a transition in colony activity patterns as brood rearing adjusts); the gas heater-scan shows the strongest daily rhythms in the apiary with all 10 steps cycling (100°C step +41% swing, strengthening from +35% to +83% between window halves), consistent with intensified day/night metabolic cycling and autumn propolis/store-consolidation activity; the 320°C gas reference at 109 kΩ sits near the all-time avg of 98.7 kΩ — stable and unremarkable.
🔬 Correlations & Discoverieshumidity vs gas_resistance (14d) | r = -0.64The deconfounded r=−0.64 between in-hive humidity and gas resistance (higher humidity correlating with lower gas resistance) reflects the well-established MOX humidity-confounding effect: adsorbed water on the SnO2 sensing layer reduces resistance independently of VOC concentration, and in a screened-floor four-box colony with wide RH swings (49–66%), this moisture effect likely dominates the gas signal; the correlation is hive-specific physiology confirmed by significance testing (p=2.2e-6), and the appropriate interpretation is that the gas channel here tracks the colony's ventilation and humidity regime rather than any specific chemical event (Eouzan et al. 2019; Human et al. 2006).📚 Reference: Eouzan et al. 2019, Human et al. 2006, Bencsik et al. 2023⚠️ Issue: 14-day cooling drift of −7.4°F (−4.1°C): 24h avg now 79.1°F (26.2°C), −4.6°F (−2.5°C) below all-time avg — acoustics perfectly stable confirming full worker population; consistent with broodless interval or seasonal brood contraction; queen/brood status worth confirming on next routine visit.▹ Action: On your next routine visit, check Hive #3's brood frames for fresh eggs — the perfectly stable acoustic spectrum (all bands ±0.3 dB of baseline) confirms the full worker population is present and active, and a brood check will clarify whether the 14-day cooling drift reflects normal autumn contraction or a brief brood-break interval; also keep a passive eye on the battery (currently 3,992 mV, all-time low 3,936 mV) as autumn days shorten.