Honey bee forage in Drayton, South Carolina

When is the honey flow in Drayton?

• First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Feb 16 to May 31, peaking late Mar (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
• Fall flow: Jun 16 to Jul 15 (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Drayton, 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 23.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra 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

• Soybeans: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi NW, blooms early May – early Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.1 mi N, blooms late May – late Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Millet: about 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.2 mi NW, blooms late May – late Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.8 mi N, blooms early May – early Jul (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 Drayton

Mostly: Developed, open space (parks, large lots, lawns); Developed, low intensity (houses and yards); Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.07 mi SE; open water 0.11 mi S.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 71% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.

How Drayton ranks

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 35% 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.

Nearby

Whitney 1 mi · Spartanburg 3 mi · Hilltop 3 mi · Ben Avon 3 mi · Converse 4 mi · Saxon 4 mi

All towns in South Carolina · 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 Drayton (34.9765, -81.9023); 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.