town in Washington
Honey bee forage in Coulee Dam, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 29% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in fall (66th percentile) and lowest in summer (21st). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 3.7 mi SW); alfalfa (nearest 3.7 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Coulee Dam?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, maples, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 31, peaking early May (snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Aug 16 to Aug 31 (spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, yellow starthistle)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Coulee Dam, 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 3.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, snowberry, native wildflowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, garden flowers; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed; 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 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.7 mi SW, blooms late Apr – early May
- Alfalfa: about 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.7 mi NE, blooms early Jun – early Oct (grown 3 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 Coulee Dam
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland; Open water.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.16 mi NW; pond, lake or river 0.17 mi NW.
How Coulee Dam ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 60th | 64th | 67th | 67th |
| Washington | 29th | 56th | 21st | 66th |
| Columbia Plateau | 68th | 83rd | 58th | 43rd |
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 Coulee Dam: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Grand Coulee 2 mi · Elmer City 3 mi · Electric City 5 mi · Nespelem 14 mi · Nespelem Community 14 mi · Keller 14 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 Coulee Dam (47.9685, -118.9763); 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.