community in Washington
Honey bee forage in Tehaleh, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 90% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in spring (92nd percentile) and lowest in fall (28th). Biggest nearby bee crops: caneberries (nearest 2.2 mi S); corn (nearest 2.0 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years); blueberries (nearest 3.4 mi NW).
When is the honey flow in Tehaleh?
- 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, himalayan blackberry)
- Fall flow: Jul 1 to Jul 15 (summer-flowering shrubs, himalayan blackberry)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Tehaleh, 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 20.
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, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra 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
- Caneberries: about 33 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.4 mi NW, blooms early Mar – early Jul
- Corn: about 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi S, blooms late Jun – 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 Tehaleh
Mostly: North Pacific Broadleaf Landslide Forest; North Pacific Maritime Dry-Mesic Douglas-fir-Western Hemlock Forest; Developed, low intensity (houses and yards).
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.02 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.02 mi N.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Caneberries: raspberries: insecticides used on about 99% of acres in Washington (2023); Caneberries: blackberries: insecticides used on about 60% of surveyed US acres (2017). 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 Tehaleh ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 98th | 99th | 76th | 34th |
| Washington | 90th | 92nd | 36th | 28th |
| Puget Lowland | 54th | 59th | 46th | 50th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 63% 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 Tehaleh: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Orting 2 mi · Prairie Ridge 3 mi · McMillin 3 mi · Crocker 3 mi · Prairie Heights 4 mi · South Prairie 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 Tehaleh (47.1161, -122.1789); 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.