community in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Towaoc, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 37% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (91st percentile) and lowest in summer (17th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.0 mi E, grown 4 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.8 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years); apples (nearest 2.7 mi E).
When is the honey flow in Towaoc?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jun 30, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Jul 16 to Sep 15 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Towaoc, 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 1.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs, weedy mustards; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, garden flowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, rabbitbrush, dandelion; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, 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 437 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi E, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 19 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 2 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 Towaoc
Mostly: Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub-Steppe; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.16 mi N; creek, wetland or wet meadow 1.03 mi S.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 77% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Towaoc ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 29th | 54th | 40th | 68th |
| Colorado | 37th | 91st | 17th | 41st |
| Colorado Plateaus | 91st | 98th | 82nd | 84th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 53% 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 Towaoc: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Cortez 13 mi · Lewis 20 mi · Dolores 22 mi · Mancos 26 mi · Marvel 34 mi · Dove Creek 40 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 Towaoc (37.2126, -108.7265); 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.