community in Washington
Honey bee forage in Home, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 93% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in spring (98th percentile) and lowest in fall (16th). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 0.5 mi NW).
When is the honey flow in Home?
- First forage: Feb 16 (maples, dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Jun 15, peaking late Apr (summer-flowering shrubs, maples)
- Season ends: Aug 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Home, 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 15.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering shrubs, maples, himalayan blackberry, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, himalayan blackberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, maples, himalayan blackberry, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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
- Apples: about 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi NW, blooms early Apr – late Apr
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 Home
Mostly: Open water; North Pacific Maritime Dry-Mesic Douglas-fir-Western Hemlock Forest; North Pacific Broadleaf Landslide Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0 mi S; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.27 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 Home ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 99th | 100th | 71st | 17th |
| Washington | 93rd | 98th | 27th | 16th |
| Puget Lowland | 67th | 88th | 22nd | 26th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 70% 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 Home: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Herron Island 2 mi · Longbranch 4 mi · Key Center 4 mi · Grapeview 4 mi · Vaughn 6 mi · Artondale 7 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 Home (47.2747, -122.7901); 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.