town in South Carolina
Honey bee forage in Elko, South Carolina
Estimated forage here is better than about 60% of sites in South Carolina. Against other South Carolina sites it stands out most in summer (90th percentile) and lowest in fall (27th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.1 mi N, grown 4 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.4 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); rapeseed (nearest 0.8 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Elko?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Feb 1 to May 31, peaking early Mar (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Jun 16 to Aug 15 (cotton)
- Season ends: Aug 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Elko, 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 7.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); 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
- Cotton: about 62 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 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 Elko
Mostly: Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest; Southeastern Ruderal Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.02 mi E; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.51 mi W.
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 Elko ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 63rd | 75th | 52nd | 8th |
| South Carolina | 60th | 29th | 90th | 27th |
| Southeastern Plains | 66th | 48th | 80th | 39th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 59% 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 Elko: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Williston 3 mi · Blackville 5 mi · Barnwell 10 mi · Springfield 10 mi · Windsor 10 mi · Hilda 10 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 Elko (33.3807, -81.3805); 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.