# This year's honey crop **URL:** \ **Category:** Beekeeping - Basics\ **Created:** [October 20, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/this-years-honey-crop/8953 "2016-10-20T15:46:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Barbara\_Gordon](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/barbara_gordon/32/7834_2.png) [@Barbara\_Gordon](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Barbara_Gordon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/this-years-honey-crop/8953/1 "2016-10-20T15:46:08Z")
Hi everyone, I was wondering about your honey harvest this year in NW Washington. I had a great year in 2015 (60 lbs pe hive) but this year I had no stores to speak of. I have four hives. I have been feeding for over a month now and they are starting to build up a winter food supply. I really expected a good year because of the early warm weather. I did not even get a single frame of honey from the strongest hive I placed at my friend’s lavender farm. I watched and the colony was definitely foraging like crazy. No signs of robbing or excess dead bees. I am wondering if this was a bad year for anyone else up here? ---
**Author:** ![Gerald\_Nickel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/gerald_nickel/32/1910_2.png) [@Gerald\_Nickel](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Gerald_Nickel)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 1:16pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/this-years-honey-crop/8953/2 "2016-10-22T13:16:29Z")
Hi Barb, This is my first season back to beekeeping after 55 years away from it. I started mid April with three Nuc’s n a swarm mid May brought my hive count to four. I did a split July into a five frame Nuc ! Thought I’d be okay n have five to GO thru winter with but Wrong ! I sugar tested n found mites. Long story I delayed treating with something couple weeks because of business, time n weather … Lost my two colonies within several weeks then… I used the die-outs to my advantage using the extra frames of honey super honey to fatten up my three other still healthy (I tested once more) with only 0 to 2 mites per 300 bees… For luck I sugar dusted … Figured nothing wrong with trying this as the bees would clean themselves again n mites would fall thru my SBBoards… I’ve only harvested four pints of delicious honey from partial frames here n there in my die-outs to get a TASTE of my first "wee-🍯 harvest since the 1950’s n 60’s… Yummy ! It’s been a learning curve this first season back with all the new issues n critter effecting bee colonies now. Ohhhh for the “Gôd Ole Dáys” again !! I’d call my 2016 season successful somewhat as I still have 3 out of my 5 hives still alive n well, lots of built out frames of wax (even in the die-outs to start season #2 2017 with, I was able to fatten up health hives with plenty of full frames of honey n several frames left for backup… Not sure being my first year if you’d call that a good honey season or not. Don’t have anything to compare it with Barb. Ohh I live SE of Seattle between Renton n Issaquah in a semi Urban location… (My backyard)…, ![](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/b/b35235e6af897582aae036577c57636885450f7f.jpg) ![](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/8/810fe4211b495921a7bcf5f2df634688a10a1e0b.jpg) ![](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/e/e3633fd2f68bf978001a600c8dd124796b3d7bdc.jpg) ![](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/7/70106e4f9c5b5d4016219f7b044982ba69bf475e.jpg). Well, got to get my second cup of morning coffee (Saturday). Have a great weekend n happy beekeeping., Cheers, Gerald