community in Arizona
Honey bee forage in Alamo Lake, Arizona
Estimated forage here is better than about 13% of sites in Arizona. Against other Arizona sites it ranks highest in fall (36th percentile) and lowest in spring and summer (14th). Expect a dearth from late Apr to late Oct.
When is the honey flow in Alamo Lake?
- First forage: Jan 16 (native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Main flow: Feb 16 to Apr 15, peaking late Feb (native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Dearth: Jan 16 to Feb 15
- Dearth: Apr 16 to Oct 31
- Fall flow: May 1 to Oct 31 (rabbitbrush, native wildflowers)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Alamo Lake, 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 Feb 21.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): rabbitbrush; dark amber
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush; dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): rabbitbrush, native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs; amber
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 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.3 mi NE, blooms early Apr – early Jun (grown 3 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 Alamo Lake
Mostly: Sonoran Paloverde-Mixed Cacti Desert Scrub; Sonora-Mojave Creosotebush-White Bursage Desert Scrub; Open water.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.03 mi NE; pond, lake or river 0.23 mi NW.
How Alamo Lake ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 2nd | 9th | 1st | 30th |
| Arizona | 13th | 14th | 14th | 36th |
| Sonoran Basin and Range | 36th | 39th | 46th | 60th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 96% 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 Alamo Lake: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Bagdad 29 mi · Aguila 29 mi · Wenden 29 mi · Wikieup 31 mi · Salome 34 mi · Parker Strip 36 mi
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 Alamo Lake (34.2559, -113.5003); 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.