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Renowned for water-white, ultra-mild Alfalfa and Sweet Clover honeys
Wyoming Honey Directory
Your Complete Guide to Fresh, Local Honey
The Wyoming honey scene is defined by wide-open spaces and high-altitude purity. The state is a major contributor to the American honey supply, with large-scale apiaries focusing on the massive nectar flows of the Big Horn and Powder River basins. Wyoming Alfalfa honey is particularly sought after for its mild flavor and light, extra-white appearance.
What Sets Wyoming Apart
Wyoming Honey Scene Highlights
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Enforces a strict two-mile statutory distance rule between commercial apiaries
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Mandatory annual apiary mapping with latitude and longitude data via the WDA
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Home to the annual Wyoming Bee College educational extension framework
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Extremely low moisture honey yields driven by dry high plains atmospheres
Local Varietals
Honey Types Found in Wyoming
Wyoming Bee & Honey Profile
State Flower
Indian Paintbrush
State Bee
Honey Bee
Honey Color
Water-white to extra-light clear straw hue from basin legumes; turns light amber from autumn rabbitbrush flows.
Peak Harvest
July, August, September
Primary Nectar Plants
AlfalfaYellow Sweet CloverWhite Sweet CloverRubber RabbitbrushWild SunflowerHoundstongue
Wyoming Bloom Calendar
Interactive year-round nectar flow guide
Peak nectar flow: June, July
Bloom Calendar
Seasonal Nectar Flow
Click any month on the wheel to explore local forage details.
Minimal / Baseline
Moderate Flow
Peak Nectar Flow
Moderate Flow
May
Spring colony build-up finally accelerates as legume rows, wild berries, dandelions, and native fruit tree blossoms across lower valley floors provide a moderate maintenance flow to feed expanding brood nests.
The Wyoming Honey Story
Sweeping mountain horizons, harsh high-desert steppes, and vast irrigated river basins frame the unique high-altitude apicultural framework of the Equality State. Unlike eastern pasture models, local beekeepers face extreme weather swings, managing colonies that must withstand biting winds and sub-zero winters before executing explosive summer production cycles. Sideliners must tie their yards closely to river corridors or irrigated agricultural zones where hay production forms the backbone of available forage. The regional economy is a blend of large-scale commercial migratory businesses—which stage hives in southern states for winter before returning to the plains—and an intensely dedicated local hobbyist group trained by top extension labs.
Fun Fact
Wyoming apiary law implements a strict two-mile territory buffer between commercial bee yards; the state department is legally barred from issuing a registration to any new general apiary located less than two miles from an existing operator.
From the Blog
Honey Knowledge
Recipes & Culinary
Honey Syrup for Cocktails
A five-minute honey syrup that blends seamlessly into shaken and stirred drinks — all the floral depth of raw honey, none of the clumping.
By Art Marks
Recipes & Culinary
Bee's Knees Cocktail
The classic Prohibition-era gin sour, sweetened with honey syrup instead of sugar.
By Art Marks
Recipes & Culinary
Honey Hot Toddy
Whiskey, honey, lemon, and hot water — the cold-weather classic.
By Art Marks
Wyoming Honey Production
By the Numbers
#15
National Rank
by honey production
2.1M lbs
Annual Honey
USDA NASS 2023 Honey Report
27,000
Managed Colonies
USDA NASS 2023 Honey Report
450
Registered Beekeepers
The official metrics provided by federal agricultural boards account solely for commercial bee operations running five or more honey-producing colonies. Due to Wyoming's sparse population centers and the rise of high-altitude backyard hobbyists managing one to four hives on private ranches, the actual number of localized hives is higher than federal censuses capture.
Featured Apiaries in Wyoming
Connect with these premier honey producers for the best local experience
Upcoming Honey Events in Wyoming
Don't miss these exciting honey and beekeeping events in Wyoming
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Beekeeping Regulations
Hive Registrationyes
Backyard Beekeepingvaries by municipality
Min. Hive Setback15 ft
Wyoming law mandates that any person owning or possessing honeybee colonies must register their apiary locations with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture before April 1st each year. Applications must pinpoint exact geographic placements utilizing precise latitude and longitude coordinates, and registrants are required to post legible evidence of registration at or near their bee yards.
Associations & Resources
Wyoming Beekeepers Association
StatewideVisit WebsiteThe state association centers its footprint around the Wyoming Bee College, an acclaimed annual educational event hosted alongside the University of Wyoming Extension that delivers multi-tier hive training to beekeepers across the Mountain West.
High Mountain Pollinators & Bees
Visit WebsiteState Dept. of Agriculture
Apiary ProgramWyoming Geography & Climate
Climate Zones
Semi-Arid ContinentalHigh-Desert SteppeAlpine Tundra
Notable Beekeeping Regions
- •Big Horn Basin
- •Powder River Basin
- •Wind River Valley
- •Laramie Plains
Elevation Range
3,099 feet (Belle Fourche River) to 13,809 feet (Gannett Peak)
Wyoming features a high-altitude plateau sliced by rugged mountain chains, experiencing dry atmospheric air and extreme day-to-night temperature drops. This intense lack of environmental humidity enables bees to cure honey to exceptionally low moisture contents—often under 15%—resulting in thick, premium table honeys that resist fermentation.