Honey bee forage in McConnell AFB, Kansas

When is the honey flow in McConnell AFB?

• First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Mar 16 to Jul 31, peaking early Apr (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
• Fall flow: Aug 16 to Aug 31 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers)
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of McConnell AFB, 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 11.

What the honey is made of

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

• Soybeans: about 36 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi SE, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 30 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi E, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Cotton: about 115 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi E, blooms late Jul – early Sep (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Sorghum: about 79 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi E, blooms early Jun – early 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 McConnell AFB

Mostly: Developed, low intensity (houses and yards); Southeastern Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie; Developed, medium intensity.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.38 mi SE; pond, lake or river 0.81 mi SE.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 86% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
• 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 McConnell AFB ranks

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

Nearby

Oaklawn-Sunview 3 mi · Eastborough 3 mi · Derby 5 mi · Wichita 6 mi · Haysville 7 mi · Andover 8 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 McConnell AFB (37.6344, -97.2585); 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.