community in Washington
Honey bee forage in Pine Grove, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 62% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in summer (81st percentile) and lowest in spring (56th). Biggest nearby bee crops: pears (nearest 0.6 mi W); alfalfa (nearest 1.6 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Pine Grove?
- First forage: Mar 16 (willows, dandelion)
- Main flow: May 16 to Jul 31, peaking early Jul (snowberry)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Pine Grove, 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 19.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): willows, snowberry, dandelion, native wildflowers; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, mallow ninebark; light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, willows, native wildflowers, dandelion; 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
- Pears: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi W, blooms early May – late May
- Alfalfa: about 11 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.6 mi NE, blooms late Jun – late Oct (grown 2 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 Pine Grove
Mostly: Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest; Northern Rocky Mountain Montane-Foothill Deciduous Shrubland; Northern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.13 mi N.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Pears: insecticides used on about 69% 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 Pine Grove ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 82nd | 64th | 85th | 67th |
| Washington | 62nd | 56th | 81st | 66th |
| Northern Rockies | 86th | 87th | 79th | 74th |
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 Pine Grove: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Torboy 1 mi · Republic 2 mi · Curlew Lake 6 mi · Malo 11 mi · Curlew 16 mi · Danville 25 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 Pine Grove (48.6502, -118.6838); 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.