city in Idaho
Honey bee forage in White Bird, Idaho
Estimated forage here is better than about 78% of sites in Idaho. Against other Idaho sites it stands out most in spring (95th percentile) and lowest in fall (30th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.8 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in White Bird?
- First forage: Mar 16 (arrowleaf balsamroot, dandelion, native wildflowers)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 15, peaking late Jun (snowberry, yellow starthistle, native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of White Bird, 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 27.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): snowberry, native wildflowers, arrowleaf balsamroot, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, native wildflowers; light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed; light amber
- Whole season (March to November): yellow starthistle, snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers; 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 91 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.9 mi SE, blooms early 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 White Bird
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: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.06 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.21 mi S.
How White Bird ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 65th | 59th | 76th | 66th |
| Idaho | 78th | 95th | 54th | 30th |
| Blue Mountains | 63rd | 96th | 45th | 39th |
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 White Bird: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Grangeville 14 mi · Cottonwood 20 mi · Riggins 24 mi · Ferdinand 27 mi · Stites 28 mi · Kooskia 31 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 White Bird (45.7627, -116.3004); 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.