Bee forage check

How good is this spot for honey bees?

Enter an address or tap the map. You'll see which bee plants and crops are within flight range (about 3.7 miles, with nearer land counting more), when the honey flow comes and when there's a dearth, nearby water, a few things worth checking, and how the spot ranks against random sites in your state and across the country.

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Forage on the map in —

National map

The colors are the national forage map: every square kilometer of the lower 48, scored the same way. See the honey flow for your state and town, the best and worst spots we found, or how the scoring works.

Forage report for 39.3763, -104.8520

Estimated forage here is better than about 97% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (99th percentile) and lowest in fall (59th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.1 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), 0.22 mi N. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

Continental US: 75th percentile (spring 72nd, summer 76th, fall 78th)
Colorado: 97th percentile (spring 99th, summer 82nd, fall 59th)
Southwestern Tablelands: 99th percentile (spring 89th, summer 98th, fall 55th)

Percentile among 3,000 random land points across Colorado, scored the same way; land in general, not beekeepers' yards.

Season

First forage: Mar 16 — Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red
Main flow: May 1 to Jul 15 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Summer-flowering shrubs
Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 31 — Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Garden flowers
Season ends: Oct 15

Bee crops nearby

Alfalfa: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.1 mi E, blooms late Jun – early Sep

What the honey would be made of

Spring honey (March to June): Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Summer-flowering shrubs, Spring-flowering shrubs; light amber
Summer honey (July and August): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Summer-flowering shrubs, Dandelion, Garden flowers; extra light amber
Fall honey (September to November): Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Garden flowers, Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber
Whole season (March to November): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Summer-flowering shrubs, Garden flowers; light amber

Things to watch

Heavily developed. About 77% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.

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. Honey composition is a nectar-source estimate, not a pollen analysis. Benchmark 2026.5. How this works.