Honey bee forage in Union Hill-Novelty Hill, Washington

When is the honey flow in Union Hill-Novelty Hill?

• First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, willows, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
• Main flow: Mar 16 to Jun 15, peaking late Apr (summer-flowering shrubs, maples, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Season ends: Sep 15

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Union Hill-Novelty Hill, 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 13.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering shrubs, maples, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, maples; 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 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi E, blooms late May – early Sep (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 13 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.8 mi NE, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Pumpkins: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.5 mi NE, blooms late May – late Sep (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 Union Hill-Novelty Hill

Mostly: North Pacific Broadleaf Landslide Forest; Developed, open space (parks, large lots, lawns); North Pacific Maritime Mesic-Wet Douglas-fir-Western Hemlock Forest.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.05 mi SE; pond, lake or river 0.16 mi NW.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 56% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Pumpkins: insecticides used on about 75% of surveyed US acres (2024). 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 Union Hill-Novelty Hill ranks

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

About 48% 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.

Nearby

Redmond 4 mi · Duvall 4 mi · Ames Lake 4 mi · Cottage Lake 5 mi · Lake Marcel-Stillwater 5 mi · Sammamish 6 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 Union Hill-Novelty Hill (47.6823, -122.0227); 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.