town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Starkville, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 18% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (66th percentile) and lowest in summer (11th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.5 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Starkville?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 15 (summer-flowering shrubs, rabbitbrush, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Starkville, 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 3.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, rabbitbrush; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs; 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 59 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.7 mi NW, blooms early Jun – late Aug (grown 5 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 Starkville
Mostly: Southern Rocky Mountain Pinyon-Juniper 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) 0.08 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.08 mi E.
How Starkville ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 16th | 42nd | 32nd | 46th |
| Colorado | 18th | 66th | 11th | 12th |
| Southern Rockies | 24th | 95th | 8th | 16th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 84% 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 Starkville: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Jansen 3 mi · Trinidad 4 mi · Cokedale 6 mi · Valdez 8 mi · El Moro 10 mi · Segundo 12 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 Starkville (37.1168, -104.5233); 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.