city in South Dakota
Honey bee forage in Hill City, South Dakota
Estimated forage here is better than about 10% of sites in South Dakota. Against other South Dakota sites it ranks highest in summer (33rd percentile) and lowest in spring (23rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: sunflower (nearest 0.2 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Hill City?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion)
- Main flow: May 16 to Sep 15, peaking early Jun (snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Hill 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 30.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, smooth sumac, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, sweet clovers, sunflower; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, sweet clovers, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, sweet clovers; 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 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi NW, blooms late Jul – late Sep (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 Hill City
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains-Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna; Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Rocky Mountain Alpine-Montane Wet Meadow.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.11 mi NE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.13 mi NE.
How Hill City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 27th | 25th | 62nd | 76th |
| South Dakota | 10th | 23rd | 33rd | 31st |
| Middle Rockies | 52nd | 83rd | 45th | 26th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 75% 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 Hill City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Keystone 8 mi · Custer 12 mi · Johnson Siding 12 mi · Colonial Pine Hills 14 mi · Blackhawk 19 mi · Hermosa 20 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 Hill City (43.9318, -103.5687); 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.