city in Oregon
Honey bee forage in Heppner, Oregon
Estimated forage here is better than about 44% of sites in Oregon. Against other Oregon sites it stands out most in spring (65th percentile) and lowest in summer (42nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sweet corn (nearest 2.3 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years); camelina (nearest 2.8 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Heppner?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, arrowleaf balsamroot, native wildflowers)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Aug 31, peaking early May (native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Heppner, 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 30.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, arrowleaf balsamroot; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, native wildflowers, alfalfa; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, rubber rabbitbrush; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Alfalfa: about 56 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi N, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 4 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 Heppner
Mostly: Columbia Plateau Scabland Shrubland; Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland; Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.38 mi SE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.4 mi SE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Sweet Corn: insecticides used on about 44% of surveyed US acres (2024). 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 Heppner ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 42nd | 53rd | 57th | 72nd |
| Oregon | 44th | 65th | 42nd | 63rd |
| Columbia Plateau | 38th | 61st | 27th | 56th |
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 Heppner: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Lexington 9 mi · Ione 16 mi · Lonerock 24 mi · Condon 31 mi · Echo 32 mi · Stanfield 34 mi
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 Heppner (45.3529, -119.5605); 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.