city in Washington
Honey bee forage in Royal City, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 67% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in fall (79th percentile) and lowest in summer (38th). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 0.1 mi E); cherries (nearest 0.5 mi NW); alfalfa (nearest 0.2 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Royal City?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, cherries, maples)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to May 15, peaking late Apr (apples, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Fall flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31 (alfalfa, dry Beans)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Royal City, 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): apples, alfalfa, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, dry Beans; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, green/yellow rabbitbrush, garden flowers, rubber rabbitbrush; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, apples, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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
- Apples: about 1,101 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi S, blooms late Apr – early May
- Cherries: about 102 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi S, blooms early Apr – late Apr
- Alfalfa: about 670 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi NE, blooms early Jun – late Sep (grown 5 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 Royal City
Mostly: Apples; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.05 mi NE; pond, lake or river 0.2 mi SE.
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). 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 Royal City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 84th | 91st | 77th | 77th |
| Washington | 67th | 72nd | 38th | 79th |
| Columbia Plateau | 93rd | 96th | 77th | 69th |
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 Royal City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Marine View 13 mi · Schwana 15 mi · Beverly 15 mi · George 17 mi · Mattawa 18 mi · Vantage 18 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 Royal City (46.9019, -119.6207); 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.