community in Washington
Honey bee forage in Manson, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 2% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it ranks highest in spring (38th percentile) and lowest in summer (below the 1st). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 0.2 mi NE); cherries (nearest 2.5 mi SE).
When is the honey flow in Manson?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, maples, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to May 15, peaking early May (apples, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jul 15 (snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Manson, 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 2.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, apples, snowberry; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, snowberry, apples; 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
- Apples: about 1,543 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi NW, blooms late Apr – early May
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 Manson
Mostly: Open water; Apples; Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.04 mi W; open water 0.06 mi W.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 76% of acres in Washington (2025); Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 93% of acres in Washington (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% 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 Manson ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 18th | 52nd | 30th | 34th |
| Washington | 2nd | 38th | below the 1st | 27th |
| North Cascades | 4th | 57th | below the 1st | 26th |
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 Manson: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Chelan 7 mi · Chelan Falls 10 mi · Entiat 14 mi · Waterville 16 mi · Pateros 17 mi · Methow 19 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 Manson (47.8743, -120.1623); 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.