community in Washington
Honey bee forage in Baring, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 81% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in summer (94th percentile) and lowest in fall (45th). Biggest nearby bee crops: pears (nearest 0.3 mi NE).
When is the honey flow in Baring?
- First forage: Mar 16 (maples, willows, dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 31, peaking late May (summer-flowering shrubs, maples, huckleberries)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Baring, 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 18.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): maples, summer-flowering shrubs, huckleberries, himalayan blackberry; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, huckleberries, himalayan blackberry, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): summer-flowering shrubs, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, maples, huckleberries, himalayan blackberry; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Pears: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi NE, blooms early May – late May
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 Baring
Mostly: North Pacific Mesic Western Hemlock-Silver Fir Forest; North Pacific Mountain Hemlock Forest; North Pacific Lowland Mixed Hardwood-Conifer Forest.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.02 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.02 mi N.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Pears: insecticides used on about 69% of acres in Washington (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 Baring ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 95th | 96th | 88th | 50th |
| Washington | 81st | 75th | 94th | 45th |
| North Cascades | 94th | 92nd | 96th | 39th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 86% 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 Baring: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Index 5 mi · Skykomish 7 mi · May Creek 11 mi · Gold Bar 11 mi · Startup 15 mi · Sultan 17 mi
All towns in Washington · National map · How the scoring works
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 Baring (47.7686, -121.482); 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.