Honey bee forage in Ritzville, Washington

When is the honey flow in Ritzville?

• First forage: Mar 16 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
• Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 15, peaking late May (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
• Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 31 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Season ends: Oct 15

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Ritzville, 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 8.

What the honey is made of

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

• Canola: about 88 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi SE, blooms late Apr – early Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Peas: about 85 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi SE, blooms late May – late Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 89 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi NE, blooms early Jun – early Oct (grown 4 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 Ritzville

Mostly: Fallow / idle cropland; Winter Wheat; Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.22 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.48 mi SW.

Things to watch

• 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 Ritzville ranks

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

Nearby

Lind 15 mi · Odessa 21 mi · Lamont 23 mi · Sprague 23 mi · Harrington 25 mi · Washtucna 26 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 Ritzville (47.123, -118.3753); 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.