community in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Dotsero, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 17% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it ranks highest in spring (42nd percentile) and lowest in summer (15th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.9 mi NW).
When is the honey flow in Dotsero?
- First forage: Mar 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, weedy mustards)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 15, peaking late May (summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Dotsero, 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 21.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, green/yellow rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, rabbitbrush, summer-flowering shrubs; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion; 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 55 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.1 mi NW, 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 Dotsero
Mostly: Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.08 mi W; pond, lake or river 0.11 mi W.
How Dotsero ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 15th | 28th | 39th | 61st |
| Colorado | 17th | 42nd | 15th | 29th |
| Southern Rockies | 23rd | 75th | 14th | 34th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 57% 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 Dotsero: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Gypsum 5 mi · Eagle 12 mi · No Name 14 mi · Cattle Creek 17 mi · El Jebel 17 mi · Carbonate 17 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 Dotsero (39.6476, -107.0499); 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.