community in Oregon
Honey bee forage in Pine Grove, Oregon
Estimated forage here is better than about 75% of sites in Oregon. Spring, summer and fall all rank about the same against other Oregon sites. Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.0 mi N, grown 4 of the last 5 years); apples (nearest 2.9 mi N).
When is the honey flow in Pine Grove?
- First forage: Mar 1 (willows, weedy mustards, dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Aug 31, peaking early May (spotted and diffuse knapweed, weedy mustards, snowberry)
- 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 Pine Grove, 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 7.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): weedy mustards, willows, dandelion, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, snowberry, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, weedy mustards, green/yellow rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, weedy mustards, yellow starthistle, willows; 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 78 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi N, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Apples: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.9 mi N, blooms late Apr – late May
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 Pine Grove
Mostly: East Cascades Ponderosa Pine Forest and Woodland; Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland; Northern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.09 mi W; pond, lake or river 0.2 mi NW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 77% 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 Pine Grove ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 77th | 74th | 77th | 81st |
| Oregon | 75th | 72nd | 71st | 78th |
| Columbia Plateau | 87th | 91st | 77th | 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 Pine Grove: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Sportsmans Park 8 mi · Wamic 8 mi · Pine Hollow 9 mi · Tygh Valley 13 mi · Maupin 14 mi · Warm Springs 23 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 Pine Grove (45.1135, -121.3553); 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.