city in Kansas
Honey bee forage in Syracuse, Kansas
Estimated forage here is better than about 1% of sites in Kansas. Against other Kansas sites it stands out most in fall (88th percentile) and lowest in summer (2nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.0 mi N, grown 4 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 1.9 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.4 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Syracuse?
- First forage: Feb 16 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers)
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Sep 15, peaking late Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 31 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Syracuse, 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 18.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers; 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
- Alfalfa: about 69 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi N, blooms late May – early Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Sorghum: about 266 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.7 mi S, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NE, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 1 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 Syracuse
Mostly: Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Western Great Plains Sand Prairie; Western Great Plains Sandhill Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 1.02 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 1.08 mi SE.
Things to watch
- No mapped water within a mile. Plan to provide water. Small ponds, ditches, troughs and pools don't show on these maps.
How Syracuse ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 29th | 46th | 43rd | 80th |
| Kansas | 1st | 38th | 2nd | 88th |
| High Plains | 11th | 50th | 16th | 79th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 89% 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 Syracuse: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Coolidge 13 mi · Johnson City 27 mi · Lakin 29 mi · Manter 30 mi · Big Bow 30 mi · Ulysses 35 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 Syracuse (37.9536, -101.7968); 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.