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Official home of the Honey Bee as the designated Kansas state insect since 1976
Kansas Honey Directory
Your Complete Guide to Fresh, Local Honey
In Kansas, the honey bee is the official state insect, reflecting its importance to the local ecosystem. The honey scene here is characterized by the hardy forage of the Great Plains. Large-scale sunflower crops and wild sweet clover produce a robust, golden honey that captures the essence of the Kansas summer.
What Sets Kansas Apart
Kansas Honey Scene Highlights
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Extensive summer honey surpluses driven by wild prairie sweet clovers and alfalfa
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Unique late-summer commercial honey harvests from expansive oilseed sunflower fields
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Proactive communication frameworks through voluntary BeeCheck pesticide registries
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Active grassroots regional clubs backed by the Kansas Honey Producers Association
Local Varietals
Honey Types Found in Kansas
Kansas Bee & Honey Profile
State Flower
Wild Native Sunflower
State Bee
Honey Bee
Honey Color
Water-white to extra-light amber during sweet clover flows; classic deep golden with a robust flavor profile for late-summer sunflower harvests
Peak Harvest
June, July, August
Primary Nectar Plants
Yellow Sweet CloverWhite Sweet CloverWild AlfalfaNative SunflowerBlack LocustDandelionGoldenrodAster
Kansas Bloom Calendar
Interactive year-round nectar flow guide
Peak nectar flow: June, July
Bloom Calendar
Seasonal Nectar Flow
Click any month on the wheel to explore local forage details.
Minimal / Baseline
Moderate Flow
Peak Nectar Flow
Moderate Flow
May
Woodland tree canopies open wide. Bees exploit black locust, multi-flora rose, and early berry blossoms, building up a strong field force ahead of the open prairie pasture flows.
The Kansas Honey Story
Beekeeping in the Sunflower State is a testament to the resilience of the Great Plains ecosystem. Officially honoring the honey bee as the state insect, Kansas boasts a rich history of apiculture rooted in vast prairie pastures and open agricultural fields. Beekeepers navigate a dynamic climate characterized by volatile continental wind patterns and sweeping summer heatwaves, managing hives to maximize early tree canopy collections before bees transition into the high-volume sweet clover and oilseed sunflower flows that paint the countryside.
Fun Fact
The honey bee was officially designated as the Kansas state insect in 1976 after a dedicated group of multi-county elementary school students successfully petitioned the state legislature.
From the Blog
Honey Knowledge
Recipes & Culinary
Honey Syrup for Cocktails
A five-minute honey syrup that blends seamlessly into shaken and stirred drinks — all the floral depth of raw honey, none of the clumping.
By Art Marks
Recipes & Culinary
Bee's Knees Cocktail
The classic Prohibition-era gin sour, sweetened with honey syrup instead of sugar.
By Art Marks
Recipes & Culinary
Honey Hot Toddy
Whiskey, honey, lemon, and hot water — the cold-weather classic.
By Art Marks
Kansas Honey Production
By the Numbers
#38
National Rank
by honey production
260K lbs
Annual Honey
USDA NASS Honey Report
5,000
Managed Colonies
USDA NASS Honey Report
1,500
Registered Beekeepers
USDA NASS reports focus entirely on commercial apiaries operating five or more honey-producing hives. This baseline metric leaves out a broad, vibrant network of small homesteaders, backyard hobbyists, and regenerative family farms across rural and suburban Kansas.
Featured Apiaries in Kansas
Connect with these premier honey producers for the best local experience
Upcoming Honey Events in Kansas
Don't miss these exciting honey and beekeeping events in Kansas
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Beekeeping Regulations
Hive Registrationno
Backyard Beekeepingvaries by municipality
Min. Hive Setback15 ft
Kansas does not enforce a mandatory state-level hive registration registry for residential hobbyist apiaries. Instead, beekeepers are encouraged to map hive coordinates on BeeCheck to mitigate pesticide exposure risks. Local municipal codes tightly manage residential zoning, maximum hive counts, freshwater requirements, and flyway buffer designs.
Associations & Resources
Kansas Honey Producers Association
StatewideVisit WebsiteThe KHPA hosts prominent bi-annual educational conferences in March and November, coordinates local swarm catchers, and manages the competitive Honey Exhibit at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson.
State Dept. of Agriculture
Apiary ProgramKansas Geography & Climate
Climate Zones
Humid Continental (Eastern half)Semi-Arid (Western border)Humid Subtropical (Southeastern corner)
Notable Beekeeping Regions
- •Arkansas River Valley
- •Flint Hills Tallgrass Prairie
- •Smoky Hills
- •Glaciated Region
Elevation Range
679 feet to 4,039 feet (Mount Sunflower)
Kansas transitions dynamically from wood-lined river basins and rich tallgrass prairies in the east to dry, high-elevation agricultural plains in the west. Navigating hives successfully requires an understanding of regional moisture limits, as western apiaries lean heavily on irrigated alfalfa and oilseeds while eastern hives thrive on wild meadow clover.