city in Kansas

Honey bee forage in White Cloud, Kansas

Estimated forage here is better than about 84% of sites in Kansas. Against other Kansas sites it stands out most in summer (86th percentile) and lowest in fall (36th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.2 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.2 mi SW, grown 2 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in White Cloud?

  • First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Main flow: Jun 1 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (soybeans)
  • Season ends: Sep 15
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of White Cloud, 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): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Summer honey (July and August): soybeans
  • Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Whole season (March to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); 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 2,986 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi SW, blooms early Jun – early Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
  • Corn: about 6,624 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi SW, 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 White Cloud

Mostly: Soybeans; Corn; North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.02 mi N; pond, lake or river 0.46 mi NE.

How White Cloud ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US87th61st90th40th
Kansas84th72nd86th36th
Western Corn Belt Plains18th90th13th55th

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

About 34% 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 White Cloud: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Highland 8 mi · Robinson 12 mi · Leona 13 mi · Reserve 14 mi · Severance 15 mi · Hiawatha 15 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 White Cloud (39.9743, -95.299); 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.