Honey bee forage in Gann Valley, South Dakota

When is the honey flow in Gann Valley?

• First forage: Apr 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
• Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (sunflower, soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Gann Valley, 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 13.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): sunflower, soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
• Fall honey (September to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), soybeans; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), sunflower, soybeans, alfalfa; 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

• Sunflower: about 64 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi E, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 391 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi SW, blooms late Jun – early Sep (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 416 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi W, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 90 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi S, blooms late Jun – early Sep (grown 3 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 Gann Valley

Mostly: Northern & Central Plains Ruderal & Planted Grassland; Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Northwestern Great Plains Riparian Herbaceous.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.35 mi N; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.38 mi W.

How Gann Valley ranks

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

About 44% 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

Spring Valley Colony 5 mi · Kimball 20 mi · Pukwana 20 mi · Fort Thompson 21 mi · Wessington Springs 21 mi · Chamberlain 23 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 Gann Valley (44.0335, -98.9884); 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.