town in Arizona
Honey bee forage in Colorado City, Arizona
Estimated forage here is better than about 97% of sites in Arizona. Against other Arizona sites it stands out most in summer (99th percentile) and lowest in fall (87th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Colorado City?
- First forage: Feb 1 (weedy mustards, dandelion)
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Aug 31, peaking late Apr (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, yellow starthistle)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Colorado 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 12.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, weedy mustards, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, garden flowers; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle; 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
- Alfalfa: about 17 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi W, blooms early Jun – late Jul (grown 1 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 Colorado City
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub-Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.21 mi NW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.4 mi W.
How Colorado City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 58th | 66th | 62nd | 68th |
| Arizona | 97th | 91st | 99th | 87th |
| Colorado Plateaus | 97th | 99th | 91st | 84th |
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 Colorado City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Centennial Park 1 mi · Cane Beds 5 mi · Moccasin 13 mi · Kaibab 16 mi · Fredonia 26 mi · Beaver Dam 53 mi
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 Colorado City (36.9701, -112.9853); 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.