community in Arizona
Honey bee forage in Dateland, Arizona
Estimated forage here is better than about 41% of sites in Arizona. Against other Arizona sites it ranks highest in spring (42nd percentile) and lowest in fall (5th). Expect a dearth in late May.
When is the honey flow in Dateland?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 15, peaking late Feb (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Dearth: May 16 to May 31
- Dearth: Jun 16 to Jun 30
- Fall flow: May 1 to Jun 15 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Dateland, 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 14.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, rabbitbrush, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush, garden flowers; dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, rabbitbrush; extra light amber, likely to set over some 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 72 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.6 mi E, blooms early Apr – late May (grown 4 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 Dateland
Mostly: Barren; Sonora-Mojave Creosotebush-White Bursage Desert Scrub; Sonoran Paloverde-Mixed Cacti Desert Scrub.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.15 mi SE; open water 1.77 mi E.
How Dateland ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 6th | 22nd | 3rd | 8th |
| Arizona | 41st | 42nd | 31st | 5th |
| Sonoran Basin and Range | 71st | 66th | 76th | 12th |
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 Dateland: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Aztec 6 mi · Tacna 26 mi · Wellton Hills 38 mi · Theba 38 mi · Wellton 41 mi · Ajo 48 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 Dateland (32.8209, -113.5422); 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.