community in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Somerset, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 70% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (77th percentile) and lowest in fall (5th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.6 mi W); cherries (nearest 3.6 mi W).
When is the honey flow in Somerset?
- First forage: Apr 1 (spring-flowering shrubs, dandelion, native wildflowers)
- Main flow: May 1 to Jul 31, peaking late Jun (summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Somerset, 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 14.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, snowberry, spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): summer-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, dandelion; 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
- Alfalfa: about 35 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.6 mi W, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Cherries: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.6 mi W, blooms late Apr – early May
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 Somerset
Mostly: Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland; Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest and Woodland; Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.04 mi S; open water 0.04 mi S.
How Somerset ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 46th | 46th | 72nd | 37th |
| Colorado | 70th | 77th | 70th | 5th |
| Southern Rockies | 73rd | 98th | 64th | 11th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 89% 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 Somerset: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Paonia 8 mi · Hotchkiss 16 mi · Crawford 17 mi · Marble 18 mi · Lazear 20 mi · Redstone 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 Somerset (38.9288, -107.465); 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.