Honey bee forage in Wheeler, Washington

When is the honey flow in Wheeler?

• First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, willows, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (alfalfa, dry Beans, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Season ends: Oct 15

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Wheeler, 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 29.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): alfalfa, dandelion, canola, 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, spotted and diffuse knapweed; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, dry Beans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; white, 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

• Canola: about 26 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NE, blooms late Apr – early Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Sweet corn: about 105 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi E, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 133 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi N, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
• Dry beans: about 39 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi S, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 59 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi NW, blooms early Jun – late Sep (grown 3 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 Wheeler

Mostly: Developed, low intensity (houses and yards); Other Hay/Non Alfalfa; Dry Beans.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.17 mi W; pond, lake or river 0.17 mi E.

Things to watch

• 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 Wheeler ranks

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

Nearby

Moses Lake 5 mi · Cascade Valley 7 mi · Moses Lake North 8 mi · Warden 13 mi · Marine View 14 mi · Wilson Creek 20 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 Wheeler (47.1349, -119.176); 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.