Honey bee forage in Clarkston, Washington

When is the honey flow in Clarkston?

• First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Mar 16 to Jun 30, peaking early Apr (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
• Fall flow: Jul 16 to Aug 31 (garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Clarkston, 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 11.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, lindens / basswood; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, yellow starthistle; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, yellow starthistle; 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

• Chickpeas: about 164 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.9 mi N, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Canola: about 24 acres in a typical year, nearest 3 mi N, blooms late Mar – early Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi W, blooms late May – late Jul (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 Clarkston

Mostly: Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland; Developed, low intensity (houses and yards); Great Basin & Intermountain Introduced Annual Grassland.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.62 mi E; pond, lake or river 0.63 mi E.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 81% 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. 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). 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 Clarkston ranks

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

Nearby

West Clarkston-Highland 1 mi · Clarkston Heights-Vineland 3 mi · Asotin 6 mi · Uniontown 9 mi · Colton 11 mi · Anatone 20 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 Clarkston (46.4154, -117.0501); 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.