As of October 24, 2026, your Los Alamos apiary has three colonies (Hive #1, Hive #2, and Hive #3) holding textbook brood temperatures with strong acoustic signatures, and one colony (Iris) whose 14-day cooling drift and now nine-day acoustic step-down continue to warrant a physical inspection this week to assess brood, queen status, and stores. The foraging season is effectively closed — outdoor temperatures are 49.8°F (9.9°C) with 3 of the last 7 days offering little or no flyable weather — so a routine heft of every hive this week is the single most important action you can take; temperature, sound, and vibration cannot tell you what is in the cells.
Across the three healthy Apimaye hives, the 14-day rising acoustic trends in Hive #1 and Hive #2 (with all bands elevated 5–9 dB above their own baselines) coincide with your October 17 logs confirming continued daily 1:1 syrup feeding — consistent with the well-documented MOX and acoustic response to active syrup processing (increased fanning, VOC load from sucrose conversion), not a colony anomaly. Iris diverges sharply from this pattern, with acoustics 14–22 dB below her own all-time baseline alongside a falling temperature mean, making her the one true outlier in an otherwise synchronous apiary.
Hive #1 and Hive #2 continue to show the tightest brood clamping in the apiary (24h swings of 1.0°F/0.6°C and 2.5°F/1.3°C respectively) against an outdoor swing of ~15°F (8.5°C), confirming the Apimaye R≈6.93 enclosures are performing well; Hive #3 shows a 3.0°F (1.7°C) swing with a strong ~44°F (24°C) warm offset and a second-half acoustic surge, while Iris continues to track a slower, widening diurnal pattern centered 11°F (6°C) below her own historical mean with acoustics structurally suppressed across all bands.
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Iris warning Score: 42/100📋 Overall Health
Your Iris hive averaged 78.9°F (26.1°C) today — 11.1°F (6.2°C) below her all-time average and continuing a 14-day cooling drift of -10.8°F (-6.0°C) — while still holding a ~29°F (16°C) warm offset above the 49.8°F (9.9°C) outdoor temperature (weather service figures used for all outdoor comparisons), meaning damping remains present but continues to erode; combined with the now nine-day acoustic step-down (all 10 bands 14–22 dB below Iris's own all-time baseline since ~October 16), these two independent signals sustain the recommendation for a physical inspection this week to assess brood pattern, queen status, and stores. Your October 17 logs confirm ~17 lb of sugar consumed via daily 1-gallon 1:1 top-ups, and the gas heater-scan sits at 467 kΩ — above Iris's own all-time average of 346 kΩ, consistent with reduced colony metabolic activity rather than increased VOC load — but temperature and acoustics cannot confirm what is capped, so heft Iris this week.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsIris's 24h swing of 5.4°F (3.0°C) — from 76.0°F (24.4°C) to 81.4°F (27.4°C) — remains wider than the other Apimaye hives and continues the pattern of gradual damping erosion; the colony is showing a clear active diurnal rhythm (6.6°F/3.7°C average oscillations over the medium term, with 13 of 15 days showing vibration activity peaks at a 1.5× ratio), but the acoustic daily rhythm has shifted — the dominant rhythm band moved from 150–200 Hz to 1500–3600 Hz with the low-frequency rhythm bands (100–200 Hz) weakening substantially (5.2 dB → 0.8 dB), a pattern consistent with reduced low-frequency colony hum from a smaller or less active cluster. Vibration kurtosis is 2.7 and RMS 0.0172 g — mechanically quiet and normal — and humidity held a healthy 55.6% average (range 54.7–56.9%), well within the 50–70% ideal band.
🔬 Correlations & Discoveriestemperature vs sound_energy (14d) | r = +0.32The partial correlation between sound energy and in-hive temperature (r=+0.32, controlling for outdoor) is genuine hive-specific physiology: as Iris's thermal output declines with reduced brood rearing, fewer heater bees and a contracting cluster also produce less acoustic energy — both channels falling together is the multi-signal signature of a colony downshifting. The acoustic change-point (~October 16) preceded the October 22 temperature step-change, which is the expected sequence: acoustic reorganization leads thermal reorganization as a colony population or brood footprint contracts.📚 Reference: Minaud et al. 2024, Ecol. Indic. 169:112961, Kanelis et al. 2023, Biology 12:1392, Fahrenholz, Lamprecht & Schricker 1989gas_resistance vs temperature (14d) | r = -0.85The strong inverse partial correlation between gas resistance and in-hive temperature (r=−0.85) in Iris reflects that as the colony cools and activity decreases, the MOX sensor registers rising resistance — fewer bees fanning and less brood metabolic activity means fewer reducing VOCs in the air column, which is the expected physics of a contracting colony rather than any external VOC event; the gas heater-scan shape (rising uniformly across all 10 plate temperatures vs. the outdoor scan) confirms this is an in-hive metabolic shift, not an environmental contamination event.📚 Reference: Stalidzans et al. 2017, Seeley 1985, Burgues & Marco 2018, Sensors 18(2):339⚠️ Issue: Sustained acoustic step-down now nine days persistent (since ~October 16): all 10 spectral bands 14–22 dB below Iris's own all-time baseline — the largest deviation in the 420–500 Hz band at -21.7 dB — not explained by weather or season, persisting while the other three hives show rising or stable acoustics⚠️ Issue: 14-day brood-temperature cooling drift: mean fell from 89.7°F (32.0°C) to 78.9°F (26.1°C), a -10.8°F (-6.0°C) decline; 24h swing now 5.4°F (3.0°C) with warm offset narrowing — damping is still present but eroding; the October 22 change-point marks an acceleration⚠️ Issue: Stores unconfirmed: ~17 lb sugar consumed since October 5 via daily feeder top-ups; telemetry cannot confirm what is capped in cells▹ Action: Inspect Iris this week — two independent sensor categories (nine-day acoustic step-down and 14-day cooling drift) continue to point the same direction; assess brood pattern and coverage, confirm whether a laying queen or open brood is visible, and heft to confirm stores▹ Action: If the hive feels light at heft, feed by weight toward at least 40–50 lb gross stores — not by dose; continue daily 1:1 top-ups while daytime highs stay above 50°F (10°C), then switch to fondant or a sugar brick placed directly over the cluster when it stays colder▹ Action: If no brood and no queen are found, this becomes a priority requeening or colony-combination decision before the population falls further heading into winter -
Hive #2 healthy Score: 81/100📋 Overall Health
Your Hive #2 averaged 92.7°F (33.7°C) today — 1.6°F (0.9°C) above her all-time average and squarely approaching the ideal 93–97°F (34–36°C) brood band — with an excellent 2.5°F (1.3°C) daily swing and a strong 42.9°F (23.8°C) warm offset above the 49.8°F (9.9°C) outdoor temperature (weather service used for all outdoor comparisons); the 14-day rising acoustic trend continues with all 10 bands now 1–9.5 dB above Hive #2's own all-time baseline, consistent with the active daily 1:1 syrup processing your October 17 feeding logs confirm. Humidity averaged 50.7% (range 48.2–52.5%), comfortably within the healthy band; vibration kurtosis is 2.9 with RMS 0.0130 g — normal and mechanically quiet — and the single-deep format means the smallest reserve buffer in the apiary, so heft Hive #2 this week.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsHive #2 shows excellent brood-temperature clamping: a 24h swing of just 2.5°F (1.3°C) against an outdoor swing of ~15°F (8.5°C), and a stable temperature mean that has now risen to 92.7°F (33.7°C) over the 14-day window — consistent with a colony actively rearing brood and processing syrup. The acoustic change-point around October 15 (+8.5 dB step) maps directly onto the start of feeding, and the dominant rhythm band has shifted from 260–350 Hz to 1500–3600 Hz with the 1500–3600 Hz band's daily rhythm strengthening (1.2 dB → 4.7 dB) — a spectral signature of syrup-processing fanning activity. The gas heater-scan shows a positive shift at low plate temperatures (100 °C +24%, 150 °C +20%, 200 °C +17%), consistent with increased volatile load from sucrose fermentation and evaporation during syrup curing, which aligns with the deconfounded temperature–gas resistance correlation (r=+0.59) reflecting higher metabolic activity.
🔬 Correlations & Discoveriestemperature vs gas_resistance (14d) | r = +0.59The genuine deconfounded positive correlation between in-hive temperature and gas resistance (r=+0.59) in Hive #2 reflects that as the brood nest warms with increasing syrup processing activity, the bees' ventilation effort also increases — drawing in relatively clean air and partially flushing the VOC-laden hive air, which raises the MOX resistance reading; this is the fanning-as-ventilation effect acting in concert with brood warmth, and the low-temperature heater-scan steps rising fastest (100–200 °C) is consistent with increased light volatile (alcohol, ester) load from syrup conversion rather than any concerning chemistry.📚 Reference: Maisonnasse et al. 2010, PLoS ONE 5(10):e13531, Seeley 1974, J. Insect Physiol. 20:2301, Bosch Sensortec BME688 datasheetsound_energy vs temperature (14d) | r = -0.3The mild inverse partial correlation between sound and temperature (r=−0.30, controlling for outdoor) in Hive #2 reflects the well-documented heat-budget phenomenon: as the colony invests more in passive thermal storage and brood heating (temperature rises), the fanning-dominated acoustic output momentarily dips — sound and metabolic heat are competing expressions of colony energy allocation, and under active syrup processing, thermal effort slightly outpaces acoustic output on cooler periods.📚 Reference: Meikle et al. 2017, Apidologie 48:666–680, Harrison et al. 2026, J. Exp. Biol. 229:jeb252357⚠️ Issue: Stores unconfirmed: single-deep volume is the apiary's smallest reserve buffer; ~8 lb sugar consumed since October 5; telemetry cannot confirm adequate winter reserves▹ Action: Heft Hive #2 this week — single-deep capacity means the smallest margin before stores run out, and if frames are full the bees will have stopped taking syrup, which is the confirmation you need; if light, feed by weight toward at least 40–50 lb gross▹ Action: Continue daily 1:1 feeder top-ups while daytime highs stay above 50°F (10°C); when it stays colder, switch to fondant or a sugar brick placed directly over the cluster — bees cannot cure or move syrup in the cold -
Hive #1 healthy Score: 93/100📋 Overall Health
Your Hive #1 is the standout colony in the apiary: averaging 94.6°F (34.8°C) today — 3.9°F (2.2°C) above her all-time average and squarely inside the ideal 93–97°F (34–36°C) brood band — with an extraordinary 1.0°F (0.6°C) daily swing and a ~44.8°F (24.9°C) warm offset above the 49.8°F (9.9°C) outdoor temperature (weather service figures used for all outdoor comparisons); all 10 sound bands are 5–9 dB above Hive #1's own all-time baseline with dominant energy in the 260–350 Hz colony fundamental at −12.5 dB, consistent with a well-populated colony actively processing the daily 1:1 syrup your October 17 logs confirm. Humidity averaged 48.9% (range 47.6–50.0%) — dry side of healthy but well within tolerance for the screened-floor Apimaye in dry Los Alamos October air — and vibration kurtosis is 2.9 with RMS 0.0161 g (normal, 12 of 15 days showing a clear daily activity peak); heft Hive #1 this week, because even the strongest acoustic and thermal profile in the apiary cannot tell you what is capped.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsHive #1 shows exceptional brood stenothermy: a 24h peak-to-trough swing of just 1.0°F (0.6°C) across 25 hourly readings all between 94.3°F (34.6°C) and 95.1°F (35.1°C), against an outdoor swing of ~15°F (8.5°C) — a thermal flatness that is the biological signature of a large, well-fuelled brood nest actively defended by heater bees. The 1500–3600 Hz daily rhythm has been strengthening (6.0 dB → 12.3 dB), consistent with increasing syrup-processing fanning activity, while the gas heater-scan shows a step-change increase since ~October 15 (+75 kΩ at 320 °C) with the low-temperature steps (100 °C +22%, 150 °C +19%) rising most — a heater-scan shape shift toward lighter volatiles consistent with sustained syrup evaporation rather than any concerning chemistry. The deconfounded temperature–humidity (r=+0.93) and temperature–gas resistance (r=+0.73) couplings are the tightest in the apiary, reflecting a well-integrated, highly active metabolic state.
🔬 Correlations & Discoveriestemperature vs humidity (14d) | r = +0.93The exceptionally strong deconfounded coupling between in-hive temperature and humidity (r=+0.93) in Hive #1 is the tightest in the apiary and reflects a highly integrated thermohydric regulation: as heater bees raise local temperature during syrup processing, the psychrometric inverse compresses the RH reading at that same location, and the colony's fanning response to the rising moisture load from syrup evaporation tracks the heating effort in near-lockstep — a signature of a large, well-coordinated colony, not a sensor artifact (Eouzan et al. 2019 show brood-area RH is actively regulated and decoupled from ambient).📚 Reference: Eouzan et al. 2019, PLOS ONE / PMC6368279, Human, Nicolson & Dietemann 2006, Naturwissenschaften 93:397–401, Ellis et al. 2008, J. Insect Physiol. 54:1516–1521temperature vs gas_resistance (14d) | r = +0.73The gas resistance change-point around October 15 (+75 kΩ step upward at the 320 °C reference) coincides with the onset of sustained feeding, and the heater-scan shape — with the largest rises at the lowest plate temperatures (100–200 °C) where lighter alcohols and esters react most strongly — is consistent with increased light-volatile load from syrup curing; the positive temperature–gas resistance correlation means warmer periods coincide with higher resistance, reflecting that when the colony is most actively heating, fanning also ventilates more, temporarily clearing the volatile-laden air and raising the MOX reading.📚 Reference: Bencsik et al. 2023, Sensors 23:3588, Bosch Sensortec BME688 datasheet & heater-scan workflow, Maisonnasse et al. 2010, PLoS ONE 5(10):e13531⚠️ Issue: Stores unconfirmed: ~8 lb sugar consumed since October 5; the strong acoustic and thermal profile cannot confirm what is capped in cells — only a heft can▹ Action: Heft Hive #1 this week as part of the apiary-wide October stores check — the best thermal and acoustic profile in the apiary does not guarantee adequate winter reserves▹ Action: Continue daily 1:1 feeder top-ups while daytime highs stay above 50°F (10°C); when it stays colder, switch to fondant or a sugar brick placed directly over the cluster -
Hive #3 healthy Score: 80/100📋 Overall Health
Your Hive #3 averaged 94.0°F (34.5°C) today — 4.2°F (2.3°C) above her all-time average and solidly inside the ideal 93–97°F (34–36°C) band — with a 3.0°F (1.7°C) daily swing and a strong ~44.2°F (24.6°C) warm offset above the 49.8°F (9.9°C) outdoor temperature (weather service used for all comparisons), confirming brood damping is fully intact; sound energy is rising in the second half of the measurement period (+1.8 dBFS trend) with all 10 bands within 3–5.5 dB of Hive #3's own all-time baseline, and the previous 14-day falling acoustic trend (-2.4 dBFS) looks to be reversing — consistent with active syrup consumption your October 17 logs confirm (~17 lb since October 5). Humidity averaged 46.2% (range 41.2–49.9%) — at the lower watch boundary driven by dry Los Alamos autumn air through the screened floor, a weather-physics pattern we have tracked for over a week but not a colony concern — vibration kurtosis is 2.9 with RMS 0.0209 g and a vigorous 2.0× daily activity peak (13 of 15 days); heft Hive #3 first — highest metabolic demand means the fastest burn rate.
🌅 Diurnal Cycle PatternsHive #3's 24h swing of 3.0°F (1.7°C) — from 91.8°F (33.2°C) to 94.8°F (34.9°C) — is healthy and well-damped relative to the outdoor swing of ~15°F (8.5°C); the second-half acoustic surge is broad-based across 9 of 10 bands (100 Hz–800 Hz rising 2–4 dB in the second half), with only the 1500–3600 Hz band falling (-7.0 dB), suggesting an activity pattern where low-frequency colony hum and communication signals are strengthening while high-frequency wingbeat energy recedes — this matches a colony shifting from active forager flight to in-hive processing activity as outdoor temperatures cool toward 49.8°F (9.9°C). The 1500–3600 Hz band daily rhythm is strengthening strongly (8.0 dB → 15.3 dB) while mid-frequency bands (260–350 Hz, 200–260 Hz, 420–500 Hz) show modest energy drifts of 2–3 dB — worth monitoring but within normal variation. Gas heater-scan sits at 109 kΩ at 320 °C, near Hive #3's own all-time average of 106 kΩ, indicating a stable hive-air chemistry environment.
🔬 Correlations & Discoveriessound_energy vs temperature (14d) | r = +0.63The strong partial correlation between sound energy and in-hive temperature in Hive #3 (r=+0.63, controlling for outdoor) is the highest in the apiary and reflects a direct coupling between colony metabolic activity and acoustic output — as this colony's large, active population ramps up syrup processing and heater-bee activity (raising temperature), fanning and communication signals rise in lockstep; this tight coupling is a mark of a well-integrated, responsive colony and explains why the second-half acoustic surge is accompanied by the most stable temperature clamping in the dataset.📚 Reference: Meikle et al. 2017, Apidologie 48:666–680, Seeley & Tautz 2001, J. Comp. Physiol. A 187:667–676, Ramsey et al. 2020, Sci. Rep. 10:9798humidity vs temperature (14d) | r = -0.36The inverse partial correlation between humidity and temperature in Hive #3 (r=−0.36, controlling for outdoor) is explained by the screened-floor sensor placement in box 2 of 2: as the upper box warms with brood activity, psychrometric physics lower the relative humidity reading even as absolute moisture stays constant — the falling 41–50% RH range is the temperature–RH inverse at work in the warm upper box, not desiccation; Human et al. 2006 confirm that in-hive RH is actively decoupled from ambient and maintained within the colony's preferred range.📚 Reference: Human, Nicolson & Dietemann 2006, Naturwissenschaften 93:397–401, Eouzan et al. 2019, PLOS ONE / PMC6368279⚠️ Issue: In-hive humidity averaging 46.2% (24h range 41.2–49.9%), persisting at the lower watch boundary — driven by dry October outdoor air through the screened floor; not a colony concern, but worth a passive eye on⚠️ Issue: Stores unconfirmed: highest metabolic demand and syrup consumption in the apiary (~17 lb since October 5); telemetry cannot confirm reserves▹ Action: Heft Hive #3 first or alongside the others this week — highest burn rate in the apiary means the fastest path to empty frames if stores are short; if light, feed by weight toward at least 40–50 lb gross▹ Action: Continue daily 1:1 feeder top-ups while daytime highs stay above 50°F (10°C); when it stays colder, switch to fondant or a sugar brick placed directly over the cluster — 1:1 syrup cannot be cured in the cold▹ Action: Monitor the acoustic trend over the next two to three days: today's second-half surge across 9 bands looks like a reversal of the 14-day falling trend; if sound energy continues rising alongside the stable temperature, the trend has reversed and this issue resolves on its own