town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Antonito, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 98% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in fall (99th percentile) and lowest in spring (72nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.2 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); canola (nearest 2.6 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Antonito?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, weedy mustards, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jul 1 to Sep 15, peaking late Jul (alfalfa)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Antonito, 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 May 23.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, weedy mustards, native wildflowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed; 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
- Alfalfa: about 1,710 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 4 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 Antonito
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub-Steppe; Western Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Rocky Mountain Alpine-Montane Wet Meadow.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.3 mi E; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.32 mi E.
How Antonito ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 80th | 45th | 84th | 99th |
| Colorado | 98th | 72nd | 96th | 99th |
| Arizona/New Mexico Plateau | 99th | 90th | 99th | 100th |
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 Antonito: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Conejos 1 mi · Romeo 7 mi · Manassa 8 mi · Sanford 14 mi · La Jara 14 mi · Capulin 15 mi
All towns in Colorado · 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 Antonito (37.0762, -106.0103); 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.