community in Idaho
Honey bee forage in Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
Estimated forage here is better than about 76% of sites in Idaho. Against other Idaho sites it stands out most in spring (97th percentile) and lowest in fall (41st). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.5 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.5 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years); sunflower (nearest 2.8 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Mountain Home AFB?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, weedy mustards)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Aug 31, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, yellow starthistle)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (yellow starthistle, garden flowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Mountain Home AFB, 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 Apr 30.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, weedy mustards, alfalfa; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, garden flowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra 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 616 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi E, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 122 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.7 mi SW, blooms early Jul – 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 Mountain Home AFB
Mostly: Great Basin & Intermountain Introduced Annual Grassland; Great Basin & Intermountain Introduced Annual and Biennial Forbland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.15 mi NE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.32 mi SE.
Things to watch
- Heavily developed. About 74% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
How Mountain Home AFB ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 64th | 65th | 70th | 73rd |
| Idaho | 76th | 97th | 42nd | 41st |
| Snake River Plain | 74th | 95th | 54th | 32nd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Mountain Home AFB: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Mountain Home 10 mi · Grand View 12 mi · Bruneau 13 mi · Hammett 21 mi · Glenns Ferry 29 mi · Murphy 36 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 Mountain Home AFB (43.0492, -115.8659); 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.