Honey bee forage in Kahlotus, Washington

When is the honey flow in Kahlotus?

• First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), arrowleaf balsamroot)
• Main flow: Mar 16 to Aug 15, peaking late Jun (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
• Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Kahlotus, 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 22.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, dandelion; 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

• Alfalfa: about 71 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi SE, blooms early Jun – early Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
• Grapes: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi S, blooms late May – late Jun
• Corn: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi E, blooms late Jun – 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 Kahlotus

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

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi N; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.15 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). 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 Kahlotus ranks

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

Nearby

Connell 14 mi · Washtucna 14 mi · Hatton 16 mi · Mesa 22 mi · Starbuck 22 mi · Lind 23 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 Kahlotus (46.6432, -118.5561); 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.