I was very excited to see the message on auditory measurements of
hive sounds. Just this week I am planning to buy enough hive parts
to investigate how I might integrate electronic monitoring devices
into a hive in a way that would be unintrusive to the bees.
  I became intensly interested in bees and beekeeping this summer.
Since I live in an appartment in a city that does not permit bees
to be kept, I want very much to do so and will probably have to move
soon. In addition to just wanting my own bees to watch, I am interested
in all manner of monitoring the hive, including temperature, humidity,
sound and visual monitoring. While I am not an electrical engineer, I
have worked with electronics some and computers. Still, having no
experience with bees, I expect lots of very interesting setbacks and
successes with all of this.
  I think there are a lot of interesting observations that could be
made with this kind of monitoring including even monitoring things like
the number of bees entering and leaving the hive each day and the times
of these activities. I have become especially interested in sound
monitoring and perhaps other selected monitoring to detect or predict
swarming and also things like the general health of the colony.
  This whole approach might seem a little expensive initially, and
overly expensive to do commercially. And there are problems like what
the effects of transmitters or digital electronics operating in the
hive might be. I was thinking of simple sensors actually in the hive
with any complex electronics that would emit high frequency e-m being
located away from the hive, maybe on a post. In the long run, this
kind of thing could become economically feasible though.
  For now, my main interest is in being able to monitor as much of thhe
hive's activities as I can without having to open up the hive to have
a look.
 
  I would be interested in the plans and information mentioned by
Joe Hemmens and also any other advice or information anyone might be
able to provide.
 
Thanks!
  Ken Tetrick