town in Oklahoma
Honey bee forage in Burns Flat, Oklahoma
Estimated forage here is better than about 53% of sites in Oklahoma. Against other Oklahoma sites it stands out most in summer (86th percentile) and lowest in fall (40th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.3 mi NW); alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 0.8 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Burns Flat?
- First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Mar 1 to Jun 15, peaking early Apr (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Fall flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31 (cotton)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Burns Flat, 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 Mar 30.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): cotton, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Cotton: about 118 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 5 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 Burns Flat
Mostly: Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland; Winter Wheat.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.33 mi NE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.44 mi E.
Things to watch
- Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 35% of the land within 3 miles is in crops bees get little from (such as wheat and other grains).
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Burns Flat ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 58th | 71st | 58th | 49th |
| Oklahoma | 53rd | 49th | 86th | 40th |
| Central Great Plains | 62nd | 83rd | 42nd | 48th |
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 Burns Flat: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Dill City 6 mi · Foss 7 mi · Canute 7 mi · Bessie 11 mi · New Cordell 11 mi · Sentinel 14 mi
All towns in Oklahoma · 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 Burns Flat (35.3547, -99.175); 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.