town in Washington
Honey bee forage in Twisp, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 42% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in fall (84th percentile) and lowest in summer (28th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi W, grown 4 of the last 5 years); apples (nearest 1.7 mi N); pears (nearest 1.7 mi N).
When is the honey flow in Twisp?
- First forage: Mar 1 (willows, dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 31, peaking late May (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, snowberry)
- Fall flow: Aug 16 to Sep 15 (spotted and diffuse knapweed, alfalfa, snowberry)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Twisp, 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 11.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, willows, snowberry; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, dandelion; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed; 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 47 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi NE, blooms late Jun – early Oct (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Apples: about 15 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.7 mi N, blooms early May – late 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 Twisp
Mostly: Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest; Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.09 mi E; pond, lake or river 0.09 mi E.
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); Peaches: insecticides used on about 86% 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 Twisp ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 72nd | 71st | 73rd | 81st |
| Washington | 42nd | 63rd | 28th | 84th |
| Columbia Plateau | 81st | 89th | 68th | 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 Twisp: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Winthrop 8 mi · Methow 17 mi · Malott 20 mi · Conconully 22 mi · Pateros 23 mi · Brewster 24 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 Twisp (48.361, -120.1171); 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.