town in Washington
Honey bee forage in Elmer City, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 16% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in fall (75th percentile) and lowest in summer (11th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.0 mi N, grown 3 of the last 5 years); apples (nearest 2.6 mi N).
When is the honey flow in Elmer City?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, arrowleaf balsamroot)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Aug 31, peaking early May (native wildflowers, snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, rubber rabbitbrush)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Elmer City, 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 30.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, dandelion, snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, yellow starthistle, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, rubber rabbitbrush, yellow starthistle; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers, snowberry, dandelion; 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
- Alfalfa: about 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi N, blooms early Jun – early Oct (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Apples: about 8 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.9 mi N, 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 Elmer City
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland; Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.12 mi NW; open water 0.13 mi NW.
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 Elmer City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 45th | 53rd | 60th | 74th |
| Washington | 16th | 40th | 11th | 75th |
| Columbia Plateau | 44th | 61st | 35th | 63rd |
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 Elmer City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Coulee Dam 3 mi · Grand Coulee 5 mi · Electric City 7 mi · Nespelem 11 mi · Nespelem Community 12 mi · Keller 12 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 Elmer City (48.0015, -118.9537); 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.