city in Kansas
Honey bee forage in Palco, Kansas
Estimated forage here is better than about 53% of sites in Kansas. Against other Kansas sites it stands out most in spring (71st percentile) and lowest in summer (46th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 0.3 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.4 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.3 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Palco?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Jun 1 to Jul 31, peaking early Jul (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Palco, 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 22.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, soybeans; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), garden flowers, dandelion; 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, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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 1,415 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi S, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 59 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi W, blooms early Jun – early Aug (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 Palco
Mostly: Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland; Sorghum; Winter Wheat.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.09 mi SE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.13 mi E.
How Palco ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 62nd | 60th | 73rd | 63rd |
| Kansas | 53rd | 71st | 46th | 66th |
| Central Great Plains | 67th | 71st | 62nd | 68th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 40% 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 Palco: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Damar 5 mi · Zurich 7 mi · Nicodemus 10 mi · Bogue 10 mi · Plainville 14 mi · Hill City 17 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 Palco (39.2532, -99.5635); 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.