community in Nevada
Honey bee forage in Gerlach, Nevada
Estimated forage here is better than about 20% of sites in Nevada. Against other Nevada sites it ranks highest in spring (44th percentile) and lowest in fall (14th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.8 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.0 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Gerlach?
- First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, weedy mustards, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Sep 15, peaking late Apr (spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 15 (spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Gerlach, 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): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, alfalfa, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, rabbitbrush; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, green/yellow rabbitbrush; 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 23 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi N, blooms early Jun – early Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi N, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 1 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 Gerlach
Mostly: Barren; Great Basin & Intermountain Ruderal Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Greasewood Flat.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.18 mi NW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.91 mi N.
How Gerlach ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 4th | 11th | 10th | 35th |
| Nevada | 20th | 44th | 20th | 14th |
| Central Basin and Range | 12th | 38th | 11th | 5th |
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 Gerlach: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Empire 5 mi · Sutcliffe 50 mi · Nixon 56 mi · Lovelock 57 mi · Humboldt River Ranch 59 mi · Imlay 64 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 Gerlach (40.6452, -119.3613); 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.