town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Sanford, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 100% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in summer (99th percentile) and lowest in spring (89th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.3 mi S); canola (nearest 2.2 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Sanford?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, willows)
- Main flow: Jul 1 to Sep 15, peaking early Jul (alfalfa)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Sanford, 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 22.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, willows, garden flowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; white, 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 4,797 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (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 Sanford
Mostly: Alfalfa; Rocky Mountain Alpine-Montane Wet Meadow; Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub-Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.09 mi SE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.51 mi W.
How Sanford ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 87th | 52nd | 87th | 99th |
| Colorado | 100th | 89th | 99th | 98th |
| Arizona/New Mexico Plateau | 100th | 94th | 100th | 99th |
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 Sanford: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
La Jara 3 mi · Manassa 6 mi · Romeo 8 mi · Capulin 11 mi · Conejos 13 mi · Antonito 14 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 Sanford (37.2574, -105.9008); 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.