town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Orchard City, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 82% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (88th percentile) and lowest in fall (29th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.1 mi S, grown 3 of the last 5 years); cherries (nearest 0.7 mi E); corn (nearest 1.2 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Orchard City?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jun 1 to Aug 15, peaking late Jun (alfalfa)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Orchard City, 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 27.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, weedy mustards; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, green/yellow rabbitbrush, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; 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 141 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi W, blooms early Jun – early Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Cherries: about 54 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi E, blooms early Apr – late Apr
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 Orchard City
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Mixed Salt Desert Scrub; Inter-Mountain Basins Mat Saltbush Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.04 mi E; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.08 mi NW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 84% of surveyed US acres (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Orchard City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 55th | 52nd | 73rd | 61st |
| Colorado | 82nd | 88th | 75th | 29th |
| Colorado Plateaus | 96th | 98th | 95th | 73rd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Orchard City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Cedaredge 6 mi · Delta 8 mi · Lazear 10 mi · Hotchkiss 14 mi · Olathe 15 mi · Paonia 21 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 Orchard City (38.8181, -107.9673); 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.