town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in New Castle, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 71% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (89th percentile) and lowest in fall (44th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.3 mi NW).
When is the honey flow in New Castle?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 31, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of New Castle, 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 11.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs, garden flowers; 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, dandelion; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, alfalfa, garden flowers; 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 215 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi SE, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 3 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 New Castle
Mostly: Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.15 mi W; open water 0.47 mi S.
How New Castle ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 47th | 52nd | 64th | 70th |
| Colorado | 71st | 89th | 55th | 44th |
| Colorado Plateaus | 95th | 98th | 92nd | 86th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 43% 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 New Castle: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Chacra 4 mi · Silt 7 mi · Glenwood Springs 10 mi · No Name 13 mi · Rifle 13 mi · Carbonate 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 New Castle (39.5776, -107.5265); 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.