city in Washington
Honey bee forage in Chelan, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 39% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in fall (71st percentile) and lowest in summer (11th). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 0.2 mi N); alfalfa (nearest 0.5 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Chelan?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, maples)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to May 15, peaking early May (dandelion, apples, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jul 15 (clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Chelan, 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 29.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, apples, native wildflowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, yellow starthistle; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, garden flowers, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed, apples; 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
- Apples: about 51 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi E, blooms late Apr – early 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 Chelan
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Open water; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.41 mi SW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 76% 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 Chelan ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 70th | 84th | 60th | 71st |
| Washington | 39th | 69th | 11th | 71st |
| Columbia Plateau | 78th | 94th | 34th | 54th |
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 Chelan: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Chelan Falls 3 mi · Manson 7 mi · Waterville 14 mi · Entiat 15 mi · Pateros 15 mi · Mansfield 18 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 Chelan (47.8443, -120.0136); 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.