Honey bee forage in Kingman, Kansas

When is the honey flow in Kingman?

• First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Main flow: Mar 16 to Jul 15, peaking early Apr (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 31 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Kingman, 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 12.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid

Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.

Bee crops within flight range

• Sorghum: about 23 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi SW, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi W, blooms late May – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 38 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi E, blooms late May – early Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
• Sunflower: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi N, blooms early Jun – late Jul (grown 1 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 Kingman

Mostly: Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland; Winter Wheat; Western Great Plains Riparian Herbaceous.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi SW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.19 mi NW.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 54% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.

How Kingman ranks

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 45% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.

Nearby

Murdock 10 mi · Pretty Prairie 10 mi · Penalosa 12 mi · Spivey 14 mi · Zenda 17 mi · Cunningham 17 mi

All towns in Kansas · 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 Kingman (37.6477, -98.116); 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.