city in Kansas
Honey bee forage in Madison, Kansas
Estimated forage here is better than about 80% of sites in Kansas. Against other Kansas sites it stands out most in spring (91st percentile) and lowest in summer (67th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.5 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.5 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 1.0 mi N).
When is the honey flow in Madison?
- First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 31, peaking early Jun (soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Madison, 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 14.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, soybeans, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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 181 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi NE, blooms late May – early Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 265 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi E, 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 Madison
Mostly: Southeastern Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie; Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; North-Central Interior Floodplain Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.05 mi NW; pond, lake or river 0.19 mi W.
How Madison ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 86th | 83rd | 82nd | 75th |
| Kansas | 80th | 91st | 67th | 81st |
| Flint Hills | 87th | 95th | 72nd | 27th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 62% 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.
The national forage map around Madison: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Olpe 9 mi · Hamilton 11 mi · Virgil 13 mi · Gridley 14 mi · Hartford 16 mi · Neosho Rapids 18 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 Madison (38.1336, -96.1372); 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.