Sophia Hive Data

The Sophia hive which has internal and external sensor systems continuously monitoring the hive and streaming data via the GSM unit to the cloud.

(All image credits: Vincent Casey)

The Sophia hive is mounted on a ‘scales’ unit which not only monitors the mass of the hive but also measures the external air temperature, pressure and humidity. An internal ‘heart’ sensor rests on top of the ‘plastic Queen Excluder’ and monitors the (internal) temperature, humidity and sound of the brood. All sensors communicate using Bluetooth with the GSM module on top of the hive. The GSM unit in turn links via the mobile phone network with the cloud. Data is updated every hour but update rates can be increased to every 15 mins if desired. The data may be viewed and downloaded for closer scrutiny and analysis by following the link below.

https://main.beehivemonitoring.com/e23614415b374d82b2c93a9ed7b191b8

NOTE: THERE ARE THREE HIVES (001 TO 003) BUT THE SENSORS ARE LINKED TO HIVE 003- THE LINK ABOVES OPENS UP ON 001, SO TO SEE THE DATA FOR 003, CLICK ON THE TOP LEFT CORNER DROP DOWN MENU

The colony of bees were introduced to the hive in early June and data collection began. The graphic shows the steady increase in mass of the hive as the colony expanded in number and added to its store of honey. The horizontal scale is in hours but a rough month timeline is over layed in order to give a seasonal perspective.

The spike changes in mass arise when the hive is opened for inspection – a process which involves removing the hood and supers. The large drop in mass in August is due to the removal of a full super for honey harvesting.

Temperature data outside and inside the hive for the period June to November 2019.

The outside temperature varies by typically 15 degrees Celsius or more between day and nightime. However, the bees manage to keep internal temperature variations to a minimum. How do they do this?

Large variations in external relative humidity are not reflected in the internal humidity of the hive.

The hive does not have an air conditioner nor central heating. How do the bees regulate the temperature and humidity of the hive?

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