Difficult season last year in N Central CT.     The cliche "perfect storm" comes to mind.Late start to spring flow.Maples at least 3 wks late.Late hard frost. All Prunus sp blooms killed.Poor apple crop.No locust bloom at all.Rapid build up as temps warmed but swarming was difficult to control.Compressed spring flow  due to early summer temps. Many plants blooming out of sequence.Honey yields off 40%.Dry. Dry. Dry.   Severe to excessive drought conditions over the whole region led to poor fall flow. Again,fall yield off  about 40%.The yards on clay soils near the river weren't too bad but higher elevation sandy soils were terrible and needed feedWorking hives after June became unpleasant  due to robbing like I've never seen before.Weak hives robbed out in days during fall flow,leading,I'm sure,to increased mite loads in remaining hives. More signs of PMS than usual.High mite counts in Sept.and above normal fall crashes in dry yards.I haven't popped any tops during warm spells but some hives show no flght activity.Plenty of stores going into winter but I'm concerned about the effect of drought on pollen quantity/ quality.I'm not very optimistic about what the spring will bring and expect higher losses.Fingers crossed


Jack



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