town in Oklahoma
Honey bee forage in Elmer, Oklahoma
Estimated forage here is better than about 39% of sites in Oklahoma. Against other Oklahoma sites it stands out most in summer (94th percentile) and lowest in fall (4th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.1 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.1 mi SE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.3 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Elmer?
- First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (cotton)
- Season ends: Aug 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Elmer, 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 22.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, alfalfa; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, 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 778 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi NW, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 31 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi SE, blooms early May – early Jul (grown 3 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 Elmer
Mostly: Winter Wheat; Cotton; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.22 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.52 mi SE.
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 Elmer ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 46th | 47th | 68th | 7th |
| Oklahoma | 39th | 7th | 94th | 4th |
| Central Great Plains | 38th | 44th | 56th | 10th |
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 Elmer: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Olustee 6 mi · Tipton 12 mi · Altus 12 mi · Headrick 16 mi · Friendship 17 mi · Eldorado 17 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 Elmer (34.4808, -99.3521); 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.