community in Washington
Honey bee forage in Bickleton, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 12% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in fall (77th percentile) and lowest in spring and summer (18th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.1 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Bickleton?
- First forage: Mar 16 (willows, dandelion, weedy mustards)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (alfalfa, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Bickleton, 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 16.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, willows; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Alfalfa: about 122 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi SE, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 5 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 Bickleton
Mostly: Columbia Plateau Scabland Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Spring Wheat.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.06 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.26 mi NE.
How Bickleton ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 41st | 39th | 66th | 76th |
| Washington | 12th | 18th | 18th | 77th |
| Columbia Plateau | 35th | 24th | 53rd | 66th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Bickleton: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Roosevelt 19 mi · Mabton 21 mi · Granger 24 mi · Outlook 25 mi · Grandview 25 mi · Sunnyside 26 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 Bickleton (46.0056, -120.308); 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.