Honey bee forage in Isabella, Oklahoma

When is the honey flow in Isabella?

• First forage: Feb 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
• Main flow: Mar 1 to Jul 31, peaking early Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Fall flow: Aug 16 to Aug 31 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Isabella, 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 1.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, likely to set over some months
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra 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

• Corn: about 54 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi W, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
• Camelina: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NW, blooms early May – late May (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi SW, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 42 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.1 mi E, blooms early May – late Jul (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
• Sorghum: about 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi SW, blooms early Jun – early 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 Isabella

Mostly: Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland; Winter Wheat; Western Great Plains Sand Prairie.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.25 mi SW; open water 0.39 mi N.

How Isabella ranks

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

About 59% 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.

Nearby

Homestead 7 mi · Ames 8 mi · Okeene 8 mi · Fairview 9 mi · Ringwood 11 mi · Cleo Springs 13 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 Isabella (36.239, -98.3264); 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.