city in Oregon

Honey bee forage in Yamhill, Oregon

Estimated forage here is better than about 79% of sites in Oregon. Against other Oregon sites it stands out most in spring (79th percentile) and lowest in fall (18th). Biggest nearby bee crops: clover and wildflowers (nearest 0.3 mi W, grown 3 of the last 5 years); blueberries (nearest 1.1 mi SW); mustard (nearest 1.0 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Yamhill?

  • First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 31, peaking late Apr (clover/Wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
  • Season ends: Aug 31
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Yamhill, 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 6.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): clover/Wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Summer honey (July and August): clover/Wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; white, likely to set over some months
  • Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber
  • Whole season (March to November): clover/Wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; 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

  • Clover and wildflowers: about 15 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi W, blooms early Apr – early Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
  • Blueberries: about 58 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi SW, blooms late Mar – late Apr

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 Yamhill

Mostly: Western Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Sod/Grass Seed; North Pacific Maritime Dry-Mesic Douglas-fir-Western Hemlock Forest.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.1 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.34 mi S.

Things to watch

  • Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 38% 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. Blueberries: insecticides used on about 74% 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 Yamhill ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US84th95th76th12th
Oregon79th79th69th18th
Willamette Valley27th21st76th31st

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 Yamhill: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Carlton 3 mi · Gaston 7 mi · Lafayette 7 mi · Cherry Grove 8 mi · McMinnville 9 mi · Dundee 10 mi

All towns in Oregon · 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 Yamhill (45.3408, -123.1845); 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.