city in Washington
Honey bee forage in Rock Island, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 39% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in spring (73rd percentile) and lowest in summer (3rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 0.6 mi NE); cherries (nearest 0.3 mi N); pears (nearest 0.8 mi S).
When is the honey flow in Rock Island?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, cherries)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Apr 30, peaking late Apr (cherries, dandelion, apples)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Rock Island, 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 26.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, cherries, apples; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, garden flowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, rubber rabbitbrush; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, cherries, spotted and diffuse knapweed; 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
- Apples: about 319 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi N, blooms late Apr – early May
- Cherries: about 41 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi N, blooms early Apr – late Apr
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 Rock Island
Mostly: Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.13 mi NE; open water 0.15 mi NE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 76% of acres in Washington (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); Pears: insecticides used on about 69% 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 Rock Island ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 70th | 93rd | 46th | 63rd |
| Washington | 39th | 73rd | 3rd | 60th |
| Columbia Plateau | 79th | 96th | 10th | 35th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Rock Island: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
South Wenatchee 7 mi · East Wenatchee 7 mi · Wenatchee 10 mi · Crescent Bar 13 mi · Sunnyslope 13 mi · Quincy 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 Rock Island (47.3732, -120.1421); 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.