city in Idaho
Honey bee forage in Riggins, Idaho
Estimated forage here is better than about 66% of sites in Idaho. Against other Idaho sites it stands out most in spring (94th percentile) and lowest in fall (19th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cherries (nearest 1.2 mi E); alfalfa (nearest 1.0 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Riggins?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, arrowleaf balsamroot, native wildflowers)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 31, peaking late Jun (snowberry, native wildflowers, yellow starthistle)
- Fall flow: Aug 16 to Aug 31 (yellow starthistle, snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Riggins, 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): snowberry, native wildflowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers; light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; light amber
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, yellow starthistle, native wildflowers, dandelion; 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
- Cherries: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi E, blooms early Apr – late Apr
- Alfalfa: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 3 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 Riggins
Mostly: Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland; Northern Rocky Mountain Montane-Foothill Deciduous Shrubland; Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.12 mi SE; open water 0.12 mi SE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 84% of surveyed US acres (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% 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 Riggins ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 57th | 58th | 72nd | 57th |
| Idaho | 66th | 94th | 46th | 19th |
| Blue Mountains | 50th | 95th | 40th | 13th |
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 Riggins: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
White Bird 24 mi · New Meadows 31 mi · Grangeville 36 mi · McCall 37 mi · Cottonwood 44 mi · Council 48 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 Riggins (45.4206, -116.3176); 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.