Honey bee forage in Maryhill, Washington

When is the honey flow in Maryhill?

• First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, weedy mustards)
• Main flow: Apr 1 to Aug 15, peaking early Apr (spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, weedy mustards)
• Season ends: Oct 15

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Maryhill, 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): dandelion, weedy mustards, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, alfalfa, dandelion; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, green/yellow rabbitbrush, dandelion; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Whole season (March to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, yellow starthistle, weedy mustards; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months

Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.

Bee crops within flight range

• Peaches: about 19 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi S, blooms late Mar – early Apr
• Cherries: about 9 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi SW, blooms early Apr – late Apr
• Alfalfa: about 105 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi NE, blooms early Jun – early Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
• Grapes: about 8 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi S, blooms late May – late Jun

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 Maryhill

Mostly: Great Basin & Intermountain Introduced Annual Grassland; Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland; Open water.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.21 mi SW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.32 mi SE.

Things to watch

• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Peaches: insecticides used on about 86% of surveyed US acres (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); 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); Plums: insecticides used on about 75% of surveyed US acres (2025); Apricots: insecticides used on about 76% 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 Maryhill ranks

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

Nearby

Centerville 6 mi · Wishram 8 mi · Goldendale 9 mi · Dallesport 18 mi · Klickitat 19 mi · Lyle 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 Maryhill (45.6928, -120.8072); 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.