town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Dolores, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 44% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (64th percentile) and lowest in fall (29th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.5 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); safflower (nearest 3.5 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Dolores?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers)
- Main flow: May 1 to Jul 31, peaking late May (summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Fall flow: Aug 16 to Aug 31 (summer-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Dolores, 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 16.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, rabbitbrush; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs; 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 8 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi W, blooms early Jul – late Aug (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 Dolores
Mostly: Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland; Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.08 mi SE; pond, lake or river 0.09 mi SE.
How Dolores ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 32nd | 42nd | 60th | 61st |
| Colorado | 44th | 64th | 48th | 29th |
| Southern Rockies | 54th | 94th | 37th | 34th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 70% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.
The national forage map around Dolores: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Lewis 9 mi · Cortez 10 mi · Mancos 14 mi · Towaoc 22 mi · Rico 30 mi · Dove Creek 30 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 Dolores (37.4746, -108.4995); 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.