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Honey bee forage in Castle Valley, Utah
Estimated forage here is better than about 68% of sites in Utah. Against other Utah sites it stands out most in spring (91st percentile) and lowest in summer (55th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.9 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.0 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Castle Valley?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, weedy mustards)
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Sep 15, peaking late Apr (spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 15 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Castle 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 Apr 24.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, weedy mustards, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, yellow starthistle; 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, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, weedy mustards; 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 12 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi N, blooms early Jun – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi N, blooms early Jul – 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 Castle Valley
Mostly: Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Colorado Plateau Blackbrush-Mormon-tea Shrubland; Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.09 mi SE.
How Castle Valley ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 19th | 42nd | 35th | 68th |
| Utah | 68th | 91st | 55th | 60th |
| Colorado Plateaus | 86th | 95th | 78th | 84th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 57% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.
The national forage map around Castle Valley: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Moab 9 mi · Spanish Valley 11 mi · La Sal 24 mi · Thompson Springs 28 mi · Green River 49 mi · Monticello 53 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 Castle Valley (38.6321, -109.396); 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.