town in Oklahoma
Honey bee forage in Optima, Oklahoma
Estimated forage here is better than about 51% of sites in Oklahoma. Against other Oklahoma sites it stands out most in summer (81st percentile) and lowest in spring (50th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 1.3 mi NW, grown 4 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 0.8 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years); sunflower (nearest 2.8 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Optima?
- First forage: Feb 16 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Jul 15, peaking early Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Aug 1 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 Optima, 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 11.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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 165 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.3 mi NW, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Sorghum: about 58 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi S, blooms early Jun – early Jul (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 Optima
Mostly: Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland; Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.38 mi NW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.4 mi E.
Things to watch
- 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 Optima ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 57th | 72nd | 53rd | 72nd |
| Oklahoma | 51st | 50th | 81st | 69th |
| Southwestern Tablelands | 95th | 89th | 87th | 40th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 71% 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 Optima: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Guymon 9 mi · Hooker 10 mi · Hardesty 13 mi · Hough 15 mi · Adams 15 mi · Goodwell 19 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 Optima (36.7613, -101.3492); 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.