community in Idaho
Honey bee forage in Sweetwater, Idaho
Estimated forage here is better than about 95% of sites in Idaho. Against other Idaho sites it stands out most in spring (100th percentile) and lowest in fall (19th). Biggest nearby bee crops: canola (nearest 0.1 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years); peas (nearest 0.6 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years); chickpeas (nearest 0.2 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Sweetwater?
- First forage: Mar 1 (willows, dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking late May (canola, snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 15 (spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, snowberry)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Sweetwater, 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 22.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): canola, snowberry, dandelion, willows; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, snowberry, alfalfa; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): canola, spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, yellow starthistle; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Canola: about 28 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi N, blooms early Apr – late Jun (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Peas: about 410 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi E, blooms late Apr – early Jun (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 Sweetwater
Mostly: Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland; Great Basin & Intermountain Introduced Perennial Grassland and Forbland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.04 mi E.
How Sweetwater ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 78th | 87th | 73rd | 57th |
| Idaho | 95th | 100th | 49th | 19th |
| Columbia Plateau | 88th | 95th | 71st | 26th |
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 Sweetwater: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Lapwai 3 mi · Culdesac 6 mi · Lewiston 10 mi · Winchester 12 mi · Reubens 13 mi · Genesee 14 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 Sweetwater (46.3676, -116.7975); 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.