community in Oregon
Honey bee forage in McKay, Oregon
Estimated forage here is better than about 60% of sites in Oregon. Spring, summer and fall all rank about the same against other Oregon sites. Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.4 mi NW, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in McKay?
- First forage: Mar 1 (weedy mustards, willows, arrowleaf balsamroot)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of McKay, 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 May 1.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): snowberry, native wildflowers, arrowleaf balsamroot, weedy mustards; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, yellow starthistle, native wildflowers; light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; light amber
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, native wildflowers; light amber
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 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi NW, blooms late Jun – early Aug (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 McKay
Mostly: Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland; Northern Rocky Mountain Montane-Foothill Deciduous Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.15 mi SE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.48 mi N.
How McKay ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 63rd | 55th | 75th | 76th |
| Oregon | 60th | 66th | 68th | 70th |
| Columbia Plateau | 72nd | 64th | 74th | 66th |
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 McKay: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Pilot Rock 7 mi · Tutuilla 8 mi · Green Meadows 10 mi · Mission 12 mi · Meacham 12 mi · Gopher Flats 12 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 McKay (45.4923, -118.6842); 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.