city in Arkansas
Honey bee forage in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Estimated forage here is better than about 83% of sites in Arkansas. Against other Arkansas sites it stands out most in summer (87th percentile) and lowest in fall (21st). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (right here, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (right here, grown 3 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 0.2 mi W, grown 4 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Walnut Ridge?
- First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: May 16 to Jul 15, peaking early Jun (soybeans)
- Season ends: Aug 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Walnut Ridge, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on Apr 1.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), garden flowers, dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, cotton, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Soybeans: about 3,448 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NE, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 44 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi S, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
From USDA's crop maps for 2021–2025; fields rotate, so a crop counts by how often it was grown. Listing a field says nothing about its owner.
The land and water around Walnut Ridge
Mostly: Rice; Soybeans; Fallow / idle cropland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0 mi S; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.02 mi N.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Walnut Ridge ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 88th | 78th | 88th | 11th |
| Arkansas | 83rd | 35th | 87th | 21st |
| Mississippi Alluvial Plain | 48th | 34th | 66th | 48th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Walnut Ridge: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Hoxie 4 mi · Portia 7 mi · Minturn 9 mi · Sedgwick 9 mi · Black Rock 9 mi · O'Kean 9 mi
All towns in Arkansas · National map · How the scoring works
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Walnut Ridge (36.0848, -90.9468); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.