Mic Placements within Langstroth Hive Box

Where should a microphone be placed to best “hear” a honey bee colony?

There is no simple answer. Commercial monitoring systems and research studies have placed microphones in different locations, including (primarily) above the frames, along the sides of the hive, and within the colony itself. But microphone location affects what portion of the colony is being heard.

As the illustrations show, a microphone positioned along the side wall will primarily capture activity from the nearby frames. A microphone placed above the frames has a broader listening area, but is weighted toward activity in the upper and central portion of the colony.

Our approach has been different. We elected to place the microphone between two frames, low and toward the center of the hive. From this position, the microphone can receive sound from bees on both adjacent frame surfaces rather than predominantly from one side or from above.



There is also a biological rationale for choosing this location. Brood is generally concentrated toward the center of the colony, and queen activity is closely associated with this central brood area. In addition, queen cells are often found along the lower portions or bottom edge of brood frames. Because virgin queens may produce piping and related acoustic signals, placing the microphone low in the brood area could improve our chances of detecting those sounds close to their source.