town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Eads, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 81% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (98th percentile) and lowest in fall (22nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 0.6 mi SE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.0 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.3 mi NW).
When is the honey flow in Eads?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 31, peaking late Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Eads, 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 24.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), garden flowers, dandelion; amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to set over some months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Sorghum: about 1,623 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 222 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 2 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 Eads
Mostly: Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Western Great Plains Sandhill Steppe; Fallow / idle cropland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.5 mi SE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.55 mi S.
How Eads ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 55th | 68th | 61st | 55th |
| Colorado | 81st | 98th | 50th | 22nd |
| Southwestern Tablelands | 94th | 84th | 93rd | 22nd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 64% 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 Eads: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Brandon 18 mi · Kit Carson 19 mi · Haswell 21 mi · Wiley 23 mi · McClave 24 mi · Sheridan Lake 26 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 Eads (38.4816, -102.7798); 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.