Ron, If you're wondering if a poor honeycrop is due to bad hive or a bad year, I suggest that you first talk to your local Beekeeping Association, and find out how other local beekeepers did. I note you forgot to give your geographic location in your message. Bad honey years happen, in fact our local flow (Montgomery County, MD, just north of Washington, DC) this year was the worst I can ever remember (and not just for me). And I am told that people just 15 miles away got bumper crops. There's always next year. W. G. Miller Gaithersburg, MD