community in Arizona
Honey bee forage in Central, Arizona
Estimated forage here is better than about 99% of sites in Arizona. Against other Arizona sites it stands out most in summer (100th percentile) and lowest in fall (8th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.2 mi N); alfalfa (nearest 0.1 mi S, grown 4 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Central?
- First forage: Jan 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Jun 16 to Aug 15, peaking late Jun (cotton)
- Season ends: Aug 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Central, 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 Mar 5.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, rabbitbrush, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra 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
- Cotton: about 4,422 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi N, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 17 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi NW, blooms late Apr – late 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 Central
Mostly: Sonora-Mojave Creosotebush-White Bursage Desert Scrub; Cotton; Chihuahuan Mixed Desert and Thornscrub.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.39 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.46 mi NE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% 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 Central ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 75th | 60th | 80th | 12th |
| Arizona | 99th | 87th | 100th | 8th |
| Chihuahuan Deserts | 100th | 79th | 100th | 7th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 32% 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 Central: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Pima 3 mi · Thatcher 4 mi · Bryce 4 mi · Safford 6 mi · Cactus Flats 9 mi · Solomon 10 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 Central (32.8692, -109.7908); 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.