city in Washington
Honey bee forage in Oakville, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 90% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in spring (88th percentile) and lowest in fall (35th). Biggest nearby bee crops: clover and wildflowers (nearest 1.0 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.9 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); blueberries (nearest 1.1 mi SE).
When is the honey flow in Oakville?
- First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, maples)
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Jun 30, peaking late Apr (clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Oakville, 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 16.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion, maples; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, himalayan blackberry; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion, maples; 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
- Clover and wildflowers: about 17 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi SE, blooms late Apr – late Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 90 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi NW, blooms late Jun – late Aug (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 Oakville
Mostly: North Pacific Broadleaf Landslide Forest; Western Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; North Pacific Maritime Dry-Mesic Douglas-fir-Western Hemlock Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.29 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.34 mi SE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Blueberries: insecticides used on about 91% of acres in Washington (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 Oakville ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 98th | 99th | 79th | 41st |
| Washington | 90th | 88th | 48th | 35th |
| Puget Lowland | 52nd | 45th | 70th | 63rd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 51% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.
The national forage map around Oakville: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Porter 8 mi · Rochester 8 mi · Malone 10 mi · Grand Mound 11 mi · Fords Prairie 13 mi · Elma 14 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 Oakville (46.8401, -123.2335); 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.