city in Washington
Honey bee forage in Buckley, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 81% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in spring (81st percentile) and lowest in summer (48th). Biggest nearby bee crops: caneberries (nearest 0.8 mi E); corn (nearest 1.3 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years); pumpkins (nearest 1.1 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Buckley?
- First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, willows)
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Jun 30, peaking late Apr (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Buckley, 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 21.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs, maples; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs, maples; 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
- Caneberries: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi E, blooms early Mar – early Jul
- Corn: about 12 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi NW, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Pumpkins: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi E, blooms early Jun – early Oct (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 Buckley
Mostly: Western Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; North Pacific Broadleaf Landslide Forest; North Pacific Maritime Mesic-Wet Douglas-fir-Western Hemlock Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.25 mi SE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.57 mi N.
Things to watch
- Heavily developed. About 61% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Caneberries: raspberries: insecticides used on about 99% of acres in Washington (2023); Caneberries: blackberries: insecticides used on about 60% of surveyed US acres (2017); Pumpkins: insecticides used on about 75% of surveyed US acres (2024). 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 Buckley ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 95th | 98th | 79th | 59th |
| Washington | 81st | 81st | 48th | 55th |
| Puget Lowland | 29th | 23rd | 69th | 94th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 33% 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 Buckley: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Enumclaw 3 mi · South Prairie 4 mi · Prairie Heights 4 mi · Wilkeson 4 mi · Carbonado 6 mi · Prairie Ridge 6 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 Buckley (47.1622, -122.0203); 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.