Honey bee forage in Othello, Washington

When is the honey flow in Othello?

• First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, maples, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Mar 16 to Aug 31, peaking late Apr (alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Othello, 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): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, alfalfa, maples; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, dry Beans, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; extra 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

• Dry beans: about 108 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi E, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 342 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi SE, blooms early Jun – late Sep (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 109 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi E, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Sweet corn: about 246 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi E, 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 Othello

Mostly: Developed, low intensity (houses and yards); Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland; Corn.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.4 mi E; pond, lake or river 0.41 mi E.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 68% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 76% 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 Othello ranks

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

Nearby

Warden 11 mi · Marine View 13 mi · Basin City 16 mi · Hatton 16 mi · Mesa 19 mi · Connell 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 Othello (46.8238, -119.1631); 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.