Honey bee forage in Prescott, Washington

When is the honey flow in Prescott?

• First forage: Feb 16 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, willows)
• Main flow: Mar 16 to Jul 31, peaking late Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Prescott, 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 17.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, snowberry; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spotted and diffuse knapweed, alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Fall honey (September to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spotted and diffuse knapweed, garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, likely to set over some months

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

Bee crops within flight range

• Peas: about 17 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi N, blooms late Apr – early Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 162 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.9 mi E, blooms early Jun – late Jul (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
• Grapes: about 9 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi E, 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 Prescott

Mostly: Winter Wheat; Fallow / idle cropland; Interior Western North American Temperate Ruderal Shrubland.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.21 mi S; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.28 mi S.

Things to watch

• Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 42% of the land within 3 miles is in crops bees get little from (such as wheat and other grains).
• 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 Prescott ranks

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

Nearby

Waitsburg 8 mi · Dixie 13 mi · Walla Walla 16 mi · Dayton 16 mi · Garrett 17 mi · Walla Walla East 17 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 Prescott (46.2988, -118.3126); 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.