city in Kansas
Honey bee forage in Riley, Kansas
Estimated forage here is better than about 82% of sites in Kansas. Against other Kansas sites it stands out most in spring (86th percentile) and lowest in fall (73rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.4 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.5 mi SW, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Riley?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Jun 1 to Aug 15, peaking late Jun (soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Riley, 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): soybeans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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); 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), clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; 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 639 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi NE, 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 Riley
Mostly: Southeastern Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie; Central Tallgrass Prairie; Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow-Prairie-Marsh.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.28 mi S.
How Riley ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 86th | 74th | 86th | 67th |
| Kansas | 82nd | 86th | 76th | 73rd |
| Flint Hills | 89th | 87th | 81st | 18th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 46% 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 Riley: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Leonardville 5 mi · Bala 7 mi · Keats 9 mi · Randolph 10 mi · Milford 10 mi · Wakefield 12 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 Riley (39.2992, -96.8278); 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.