community in South Dakota
Honey bee forage in Crook City, South Dakota
Estimated forage here is better than about 3% of sites in South Dakota. Against other South Dakota sites it ranks highest in spring (21st percentile) and lowest in summer (7th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.0 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); millet (nearest 3.0 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Crook City?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, sweet clovers)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Crook City, 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 16.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): snowberry, smooth sumac, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, sweet clovers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion; 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
- Alfalfa: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi NE, blooms late Jun – early Sep (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 Crook City
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains-Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna; Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Interior Western North American Temperate Ruderal Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.2 mi NW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.22 mi NW.
How Crook City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 18th | 23rd | 49th | 65th |
| South Dakota | 3rd | 21st | 7th | 18th |
| Middle Rockies | 23rd | 81st | 19th | 10th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 84% 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 Crook City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Whitewood 2 mi · Boulder Canyon 3 mi · Deadwood 5 mi · Sturgis 7 mi · Central City 8 mi · St. Onge 8 mi
All towns in South Dakota · 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 Crook City (44.4381, -103.6434); 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.