community in Arizona
Honey bee forage in Cane Beds, Arizona
Estimated forage here is better than about 92% of sites in Arizona. Against other Arizona sites it stands out most in summer (98th percentile) and lowest in spring (76th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.5 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Cane Beds?
- First forage: Feb 1 (weedy mustards)
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Sep 15, peaking early Aug (weedy mustards, yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 31 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Cane Beds, 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 16.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): weedy mustards, native wildflowers, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle; amber
- Whole season (March to November): weedy mustards, yellow starthistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush; 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
- Alfalfa: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi NE, blooms early Jun – late Jul (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 Cane Beds
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Great Basin & Intermountain Introduced Annual and Biennial Forbland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.06 mi N; pond, lake or river 0.06 mi NE.
How Cane Beds ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 35th | 45th | 51st | 81st |
| Arizona | 92nd | 76th | 98th | 96th |
| Colorado Plateaus | 93rd | 97th | 86th | 97th |
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 Cane Beds: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Centennial Park 4 mi · Colorado City 5 mi · Moccasin 9 mi · Kaibab 11 mi · Fredonia 22 mi · Supai 50 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 Cane Beds (36.9342, -112.9118); 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.