town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Fraser, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 80% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in fall (88th percentile) and lowest in spring (39th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.4 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Fraser?
- First forage: Apr 1 (willows, dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 31, peaking late Jun (snowberry, native wildflowers, willows)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, fireweed)
- Season ends: Nov 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Fraser, 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 Jun 14.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): willows, dandelion, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, huckleberries; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, fireweed, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, native wildflowers, willows, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.4 mi N, blooms late Jul – early Oct (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 Fraser
Mostly: Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest; Rocky Mountain Subalpine Dry-Mesic Spruce-Fir Forest and Woodland; Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest and Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.2 mi NE.
How Fraser ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 53rd | 25th | 77th | 92nd |
| Colorado | 80th | 39th | 83rd | 88th |
| Southern Rockies | 82nd | 68th | 79th | 84th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 33% 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 Fraser: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Winter Park 3 mi · Tabernash 4 mi · St. Mary's 11 mi · Granby 11 mi · Eldora 12 mi · Empire 13 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 Fraser (39.9233, -105.8053); 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.