Honey bee forage in Oelrichs, South Dakota

When is the honey flow in Oelrichs?

• First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: May 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (sunflower, alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Oelrichs, 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 10.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, alfalfa; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): sunflower, alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): sunflower, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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 68 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi W, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Chickpeas: about 34 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi W, blooms early Jul – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 89 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi SW, blooms late Jun – early Sep (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Millet: about 33 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi W, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 85 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi SW, blooms early Jul – early Aug (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 Oelrichs

Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Western Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Alfalfa.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.24 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.24 mi E.

How Oelrichs ranks

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

About 47% 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

Smithwick 8 mi · Angostura 12 mi · Oral 16 mi · Maverick Junction 18 mi · Hot Springs 20 mi · Buffalo Gap 22 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 Oelrichs (43.182, -103.2334); 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.