city in Iowa
Honey bee forage in Durango, Iowa
Estimated forage here is better than about 2% of sites in Iowa. Against other Iowa sites it stands out most in spring and fall (92nd percentile) and lowest in summer (2nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.2 mi SE, grown 4 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.5 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Durango?
- First forage: Mar 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Aug 15, peaking early May (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, soybeans)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Durango, 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 8.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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
- Corn: about 62 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi SE, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 63 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi N, blooms late Jun – late Aug (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 Durango
Mostly: Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland; North-Central Interior Maple-Basswood Forest.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.02 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.11 mi SE.
How Durango ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 73rd | 72nd | 76th | 62nd |
| Iowa | 2nd | 92nd | 2nd | 92nd |
| Driftless Area | 31st | 97th | 15th | 30th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 74% 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 Durango: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Sherrill 3 mi · Asbury 3 mi · Sageville 4 mi · Rickardsville 5 mi · Dubuque 6 mi · Graf 7 mi
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 Durango (42.562, -90.7754); 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.