city in Kansas
Honey bee forage in La Crosse, Kansas
Estimated forage here is better than about 61% of sites in Kansas. Against other Kansas sites it stands out most in spring (87th percentile) and lowest in summer (38th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 0.5 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.5 mi E, grown 4 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.6 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in La Crosse?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Jul 31, peaking late Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of La Crosse, 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 20.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers; 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
- Sorghum: about 1,373 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi W, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 2 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 La Crosse
Mostly: Winter Wheat; Sorghum; Fallow / idle cropland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.03 mi SE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.32 mi NW.
How La Crosse ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 70th | 77th | 70th | 55th |
| Kansas | 61st | 87th | 38th | 55th |
| Central Great Plains | 74th | 88th | 58th | 55th |
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 La Crosse: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Rush Center 5 mi · Bison 6 mi · Timken 8 mi · Liebenthal 8 mi · Schoenchen 13 mi · Otis 14 mi
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 La Crosse (38.5318, -99.3095); 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.