town in Washington
Honey bee forage in Nespelem, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 37% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in fall (84th percentile) and lowest in summer (27th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.4 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 2.4 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Nespelem?
- First forage: Mar 1 (willows, dandelion, weedy mustards)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Aug 31, peaking late May (snowberry, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Nespelem, 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 9.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers, willows; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, yellow starthistle; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, native wildflowers, 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 8 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.4 mi S, blooms early Jun – early Oct (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Sorghum: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.4 mi S, blooms late Jul – early Sep (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 Nespelem
Mostly: Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland; Northern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.03 mi SE; open water 0.39 mi W.
How Nespelem ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 69th | 67th | 72nd | 80th |
| Washington | 37th | 60th | 27th | 84th |
| Columbia Plateau | 77th | 86th | 67th | 77th |
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 Nespelem: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Nespelem Community 4 mi · Elmer City 11 mi · Keller 13 mi · Coulee Dam 14 mi · Grand Coulee 16 mi · Disautel 17 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 Nespelem (48.1669, -118.9721); 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.