city in Washington
Honey bee forage in Tonasket, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 43% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in fall (84th percentile) and lowest in summer (10th). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 0.1 mi NW); pears (nearest 0.1 mi NW); cherries (nearest 1.2 mi SE).
When is the honey flow in Tonasket?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, maples)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to May 15, peaking early May (apples, pears, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jun 30 (clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, native wildflowers)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Tonasket, 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 2.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, apples, pears; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, dandelion, apples; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Apples: about 121 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi NE, blooms late Apr – early May
- Pears: about 210 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi SW, blooms late Apr – early May
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 Tonasket
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.04 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.04 mi NW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 76% of acres in Washington (2025); Pears: insecticides used on about 69% of acres in Washington (2025); Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 93% of acres in Washington (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% of surveyed US acres (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 Tonasket ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 73rd | 87th | 58th | 81st |
| Washington | 43rd | 70th | 10th | 84th |
| Columbia Plateau | 82nd | 95th | 31st | 79th |
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 Tonasket: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Loomis 12 mi · Riverside 14 mi · Oroville 17 mi · Conconully 17 mi · North Omak 18 mi · Omak 20 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 Tonasket (48.7076, -119.4423); 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.