Honey bee forage in La Conner, Washington

When is the honey flow in La Conner?

• First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, maples)
• Main flow: Mar 16 to Jul 15, peaking late Apr (summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
• Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 15 (dry Beans, squash, clover/Wildflowers)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of La Conner, 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 13.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, maples; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, squash, clovers: white, alsike and red, dry Beans; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): squash, garden flowers, pumpkins, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, maples; 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

• Blueberries: about 117 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi SE, blooms early Apr – late Apr
• Corn: about 53 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi NE, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Squash: about 14 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi SE, blooms late May – late Sep (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Clover and wildflowers: about 10 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi E, blooms late Apr – late Aug (grown 1 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 La Conner

Mostly: Open water; North Pacific Broadleaf Landslide Forest; Potatoes.

Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.09 mi W; open water 0.11 mi W.

Things to watch

• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Blueberries: insecticides used on about 91% of acres in Washington (2025); Squash: insecticides used on about 71% of surveyed US acres (2024); Cucumbers: insecticides used on about 36% of surveyed US acres (2024); Pumpkins: insecticides used on about 75% of surveyed US acres (2024). 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 La Conner ranks

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

Nearby

Bay View 7 mi · Whidbey Island Station 8 mi · Conway 8 mi · Mount Vernon 9 mi · Anacortes 9 mi · Burlington 9 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 La Conner (48.3926, -122.4945); 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.