Honey bee forage in Benton City, Washington

When is the honey flow in Benton City?

• First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, maples)
• Main flow: Apr 1 to Apr 30, peaking early Apr (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, cherries)
• Fall flow: May 16 to Jun 30 (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Benton 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 Apr 16.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, cherries, maples; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, alfalfa; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, green/yellow rabbitbrush, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, cherries; extra 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

• Grapes: about 2,606 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi E, blooms late May – early Jun
• Cherries: about 383 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi NW, blooms late Mar – early Apr
• Apples: about 555 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi SE, blooms early Apr – late Apr

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 Benton City

Mostly: Grapes; Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland; Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.03 mi NW; open water 0.18 mi N.

Things to watch

• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Grapes (all types): insecticides used on about 34% of acres in Washington (2025); Grapes, wine type: insecticides used on about 34% of acres in Washington (2025); Grapes, table type: insecticides used on about 50% of surveyed US acres (2025); Grapes, raisin type: insecticides used on about 77% of surveyed US acres (2025); Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 93% of acres in Washington (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% of surveyed US acres (2025); Apples: insecticides used on about 76% of acres in Washington (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.

How Benton City ranks

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

Nearby

West Richland 6 mi · Richland 9 mi · West Pasco 14 mi · Prosser 14 mi · Kennewick 15 mi · Pasco 17 mi

All towns in Washington · 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 Benton City (46.2637, -119.479); 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.