town in Colorado

Honey bee forage in Yampa, Colorado

Estimated forage here is better than about 99% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in summer and fall (98th percentile) and lowest in spring (72nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.8 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Yampa?

  • First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
  • Main flow: May 1 to Aug 15, peaking early Jun (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
  • Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 30 (spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
  • Season ends: Oct 31
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Yampa, 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 Jun 4.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, snowberry, summer-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, snowberry; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry; extra light amber, likely to set over some 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 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.8 mi N, blooms late Jul – late 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 Yampa

Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe; Western Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest and Woodland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.12 mi N; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.12 mi N.

How Yampa ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US81st44th85th98th
Colorado99th72nd98th98th
Southern Rockies100th97th99th96th

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 32% 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 Yampa: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Phippsburg 6 mi · Oak Creek 9 mi · McCoy 19 mi · Steamboat Springs 23 mi · Kremmling 29 mi · Hayden 30 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 Yampa (40.153, -106.9085); 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.