town in South Dakota
Honey bee forage in Keystone, South Dakota
Estimated forage here is better than about 2% of sites in South Dakota. Against other South Dakota sites it ranks highest in spring (15th percentile) and lowest in summer (2nd). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), less than 0.1 mi away.
When is the honey flow in Keystone?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, smooth sumac)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (snowberry, sweet clovers)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Keystone, 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 23.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, smooth sumac, clovers: white, alsike and red, snowberry; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, sweet clovers, clovers: white, alsike and red; white, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, sweet clovers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, sweet clovers; 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
No rated bee crops within about 3.7 miles of the town center. The forage here is wild plants, trees and gardens.
The land and water around Keystone
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains-Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna; Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Rocky Mountain Cliff Canyon and Massive Bedrock.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi E; open water 0.15 mi E.
How Keystone ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 12th | 18th | 40th | 50th |
| South Dakota | 2nd | 15th | 2nd | 8th |
| Middle Rockies | 8th | 73rd | 8th | 1st |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 87% 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 Keystone: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Hill City 8 mi · Colonial Pine Hills 10 mi · Custer 12 mi · Hermosa 12 mi · Johnson Siding 13 mi · Rapid City 16 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 Keystone (43.8949, -103.4268); 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.