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