city in Oregon
Honey bee forage in Unity, Oregon
Estimated forage here is better than about 40% of sites in Oregon. Against other Oregon sites it stands out most in fall (94th percentile) and lowest in spring (44th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.4 mi NW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); mint (nearest 1.9 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Unity?
- First forage: Mar 16 (willows, dandelion, weedy mustards)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Sep 15, peaking early Aug (native wildflowers, alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 15 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Nov 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Unity, 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 22.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, dandelion, willows, arrowleaf balsamroot; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers, green/yellow rabbitbrush; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, alfalfa; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, alfalfa, dandelion; 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 57 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi E, 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 Unity
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe; Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.06 mi NW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.21 mi W.
How Unity ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 36th | 34th | 59th | 90th |
| Oregon | 40th | 44th | 45th | 94th |
| Blue Mountains | 32nd | 44th | 28th | 93rd |
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 Unity: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Sumpter 20 mi · Greenhorn 23 mi · Prairie City 26 mi · Granite 27 mi · Baker City 28 mi · Haines 34 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 Unity (44.4516, -118.1863); 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.