community in Utah
Honey bee forage in Elberta, Utah
Estimated forage here is better than about 94% of sites in Utah. Against other Utah sites it stands out most in spring (95th percentile) and lowest in fall (83rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (right here, grown 4 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.4 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years); cherries (nearest 2.0 mi S).
When is the honey flow in Elberta?
- First forage: Mar 1 (weedy mustards, dandelion)
- Main flow: Jun 16 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Elberta, 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 1.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): weedy mustards, dandelion, alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, weedy mustards, dandelion; 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 78 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi SE, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 81 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 2 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 Elberta
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Great Basin & Intermountain Introduced Annual Grassland; Great Basin & Intermountain Ruderal Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.41 mi NW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.43 mi SW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 84% of surveyed US acres (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% 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 Elberta ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 62nd | 49th | 76th | 81st |
| Utah | 94th | 95th | 90th | 83rd |
| Central Basin and Range | 96th | 95th | 96th | 71st |
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 Elberta: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Goshen 3 mi · Genola 7 mi · Rocky Ridge 7 mi · Eureka 8 mi · Santaquin 9 mi · West Mountain 11 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 Elberta (39.9558, -111.9569); 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.