town in Utah
Honey bee forage in Rush Valley, Utah
Estimated forage here is better than about 95% of sites in Utah. Against other Utah sites it stands out most in spring (97th percentile) and lowest in fall (86th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (right here, grown 4 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Rush Valley?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, weedy mustards)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Rush 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 May 9.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, alfalfa, weedy mustards; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed, 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 156 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 4 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 Rush Valley
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Great Basin & Intermountain Introduced Perennial Grassland and Forbland; Great Basin & Intermountain Introduced Annual Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.04 mi NE; pond, lake or river 0.4 mi W.
How Rush Valley ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 66th | 55th | 76th | 84th |
| Utah | 95th | 97th | 90th | 86th |
| Central Basin and Range | 96th | 96th | 96th | 78th |
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 Rush Valley: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Stockton 7 mi · Ophir 10 mi · Tooele 14 mi · Grantsville 17 mi · Cedar Fort 18 mi · Vernon 18 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 Rush Valley (40.3613, -112.4506); 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.