Honey bee forage in Salmon Creek, Washington

When is the honey flow in Salmon Creek?

• First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, maples, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Mar 1 to Jun 15, peaking late Apr (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
• Fall flow: Jul 1 to Jul 15 (clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, dandelion)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Salmon Creek, 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 10.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs, maples; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• 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): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, summer-flowering shrubs; extra 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

• Corn: about 167 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.1 mi W, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Caneberries: about 41 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.5 mi NW, blooms early Mar – late Jun
• Clover and wildflowers: about 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.3 mi NW, blooms early Apr – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Strawberries: about 8 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.2 mi NW, blooms early Mar – late May (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Canola: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.3 mi W, blooms late Mar – early Jun (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 Salmon Creek

Mostly: Developed, medium intensity; Developed, low intensity (houses and yards); Western Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.05 mi SW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.09 mi SW.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 88% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.

How Salmon Creek ranks

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

Nearby

Lake Shore 2 mi · Hazel Dell 2 mi · Felida 2 mi · Mount Vista 2 mi · Barberton 3 mi · Minnehaha 4 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 Salmon Creek (45.7099, -122.6632); 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.