town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Rangely, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 81% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (95th percentile) and lowest in summer (50th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.3 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 1.2 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.3 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Rangely?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), weedy mustards)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Aug 31, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Rangely, 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 8.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), weedy mustards; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, alfalfa; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush; 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 15 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi N, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Sorghum: about 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi NE, blooms early Jul – early Sep (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 Rangely
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Great Basin & Intermountain Ruderal Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.03 mi SE; open water 0.13 mi N.
How Rangely ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 54th | 59th | 61st | 85th |
| Colorado | 81st | 95th | 50th | 72nd |
| Colorado Plateaus | 96th | 99th | 90th | 98th |
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 Rangely: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Dinosaur 16 mi · Meeker 47 mi · Maybell 47 mi · Parachute 59 mi · Battlement Mesa 60 mi · Loma 61 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 Rangely (40.087, -108.7833); 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.