city in Kansas
Honey bee forage in Ransom, Kansas
Estimated forage here is better than about 56% of sites in Kansas. Against other Kansas sites it stands out most in spring (82nd percentile) and lowest in summer (40th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 0.2 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.5 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Ransom?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 31, peaking late Jun (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 Ransom, 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), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra 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, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, 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 593 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi NE, 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 Ransom
Mostly: Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland; Sorghum; Winter Wheat.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.24 mi NE; pond, lake or river 0.75 mi SW.
How Ransom ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 65th | 70th | 71st | 48th |
| Kansas | 56th | 82nd | 40th | 45th |
| Central Great Plains | 71st | 82nd | 59th | 47th |
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 Ransom: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Brownell 10 mi · Ness City 13 mi · Utica 13 mi · Bazine 18 mi · McCracken 20 mi · Alexander 24 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 Ransom (38.6365, -99.9327); 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.