community in South Dakota
Honey bee forage in Oglala, South Dakota
Estimated forage here is better than about 19% of sites in South Dakota. Against other South Dakota sites it stands out most in spring (74th percentile) and lowest in summer (14th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sunflower (nearest 2.4 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); safflower (nearest 3.1 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 2.2 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Oglala?
- First forage: Mar 16 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Sep 30, peaking early Jul (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Oct 16 to Oct 31 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Oglala, 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 9.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers; 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
- Sunflower: about 24 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.4 mi W, blooms early Jul – late Aug (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 Oglala
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland; Northwestern Great Plains-Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.18 mi NW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.2 mi NW.
How Oglala ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 32nd | 39th | 52nd | 88th |
| South Dakota | 19th | 74th | 14th | 57th |
| High Plains | 17th | 30th | 24th | 90th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 92% 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 Oglala: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Manderson-White Horse Creek 11 mi · Pine Ridge 14 mi · Wounded Knee 18 mi · Porcupine 20 mi · Oelrichs 26 mi · Smithwick 27 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 Oglala (43.1916, -102.7097); 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.