town in Oklahoma
Honey bee forage in Okarche, Oklahoma
Estimated forage here is better than about 13% of sites in Oklahoma. Against other Oklahoma sites it ranks highest in spring (39th percentile) and lowest in summer (10th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 1.0 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years); canola (nearest 2.5 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 1.3 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Okarche?
- First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Mar 1 to Jun 15, peaking early Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Jul 1 to Aug 15 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), garden flowers, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Okarche, 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): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), 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), garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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
- Sorghum: about 28 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi S, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Canola: about 20 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.9 mi SE, blooms late Apr – early Jun (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 Okarche
Mostly: Winter Wheat; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland; Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.46 mi NW; pond, lake or river 0.54 mi W.
Things to watch
- Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 54% 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 Okarche ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 28th | 64th | 29th | 29th |
| Oklahoma | 13th | 39th | 10th | 20th |
| Central Great Plains | 10th | 76th | 12th | 30th |
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 Okarche: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Kingfisher 9 mi · Calumet 12 mi · El Reno 13 mi · Piedmont 13 mi · Cashion 18 mi · Dover 18 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 Okarche (35.7249, -97.9757); 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.