town in South Carolina
Honey bee forage in Scranton, South Carolina
Estimated forage here is better than about 96% of sites in South Carolina. Against other South Carolina sites it stands out most in spring (98th percentile) and lowest in fall (53rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.5 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.4 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years); peas (nearest 0.5 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Scranton?
- First forage: Jan 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: Mar 1 to Jun 30, peaking early May (soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Aug 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Scranton, 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 10.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; 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): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, 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 66 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi NE, blooms late Apr – late Jun (grown 2 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 Scranton
Mostly: Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin and Canebrake Woodland; Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest; Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.13 mi E; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.19 mi E.
How Scranton ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 84th | 97th | 55th | 16th |
| South Carolina | 96th | 98th | 91st | 53rd |
| Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain | 83rd | 98th | 56th | 41st |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 54% 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 Scranton: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Lake City 3 mi · Coward 4 mi · Olanta 11 mi · Pamplico 11 mi · Danwood 12 mi · Turbeville 16 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 Scranton (33.9173, -79.7441); 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.