community in Nevada
Honey bee forage in Grass Valley, Nevada
Estimated forage here is better than about 98% of sites in Nevada. Against other Nevada sites it stands out most in summer (98th percentile) and lowest in fall (81st). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.3 mi S, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.8 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Grass Valley?
- First forage: Mar 1 (weedy mustards, dandelion)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (spotted and diffuse knapweed, alfalfa, weedy mustards)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Grass Valley, 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 May 6.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): weedy mustards, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, alfalfa, yellow starthistle, weedy mustards; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, weedy mustards, alfalfa, 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
- Alfalfa: about 105 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi S, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 18 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi W, blooms early Jul – early Sep (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 Grass Valley
Mostly: Great Basin & Intermountain Introduced Annual Grassland; Great Basin & Intermountain Ruderal Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.22 mi N; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.4 mi NE.
How Grass Valley ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 53rd | 45th | 70th | 85th |
| Nevada | 98th | 96th | 98th | 81st |
| Central Basin and Range | 93rd | 93rd | 94th | 80th |
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 Grass Valley: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Winnemucca 12 mi · Golconda 17 mi · Imlay 22 mi · Unionville 31 mi · Valmy 33 mi · Humboldt River Ranch 37 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 Grass Valley (40.7971, -117.7603); 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.