Honey bee forage in Hatton, Washington

When is the honey flow in Hatton?

• First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Apr 1 to Aug 15, peaking late Jun (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
• Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Season ends: Oct 15

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Hatton, 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 25.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, weedy mustards; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, green/yellow rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion; extra 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

• Peas: about 79 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi W, blooms early May – early Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Canola: about 23 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi SW, blooms early Apr – late Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 24 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi NW, 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 Hatton

Mostly: Fallow / idle cropland; Winter Wheat; Interior Western North American Temperate Ruderal Grassland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.09 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.16 mi NE.

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). 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 Hatton ranks

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

Nearby

Connell 8 mi · Kahlotus 16 mi · Mesa 16 mi · Othello 16 mi · Lind 17 mi · Warden 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 Hatton (46.7735, -118.8277); 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.