community in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Placerville, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 21% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it ranks highest in summer (39th percentile) and lowest in fall (16th). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), 0.13 mi W.
When is the honey flow in Placerville?
- First forage: Mar 16 (willows, dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (summer-flowering shrubs, snowberry, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (snowberry, summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Placerville, 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 28.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, snowberry, native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, summer-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, snowberry, native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
No rated bee crops within about 3.7 miles of the town center. The forage here is wild plants, trees and gardens.
The land and water around Placerville
Mostly: Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest and Woodland; Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland; Southern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.13 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.15 mi S.
How Placerville ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 18th | 21st | 55th | 51st |
| Colorado | 21st | 35th | 39th | 16th |
| Southern Rockies | 29th | 62nd | 29th | 20th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 87% 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 Placerville: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Sawpit 2 mi · Mountain Village 11 mi · Telluride 13 mi · Ophir 15 mi · Norwood 16 mi · Ridgway 19 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 Placerville (38.0053, -108.0398); 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.