Honey bee forage in Mohave Valley, Arizona

When is the honey flow in Mohave Valley?

• First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Apr 1 to May 31, peaking early Apr (alfalfa)
• Season ends: Jul 15

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Mohave Valley, 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 12.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, rabbitbrush, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); dark amber
• Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers; white, 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 1,179 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms early Apr – late May (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
• Peaches: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi S, blooms late Jan – early Feb
• Citrus: about 11 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi W, blooms early Mar – late Apr

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 Mohave Valley

Mostly: Sonora-Mojave Creosotebush-White Bursage Desert Scrub; Alfalfa; Fallow / idle cropland.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.62 mi E; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 1.26 mi E.

Things to watch

• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Peaches: insecticides used on about 86% of surveyed US acres (2025); Citrus: grapefruit: insecticides used on about 63% of surveyed US acres (2025); Citrus: lemons: insecticides used on about 75% of surveyed US acres (2025); Citrus: tangerines: insecticides used on about 82% of surveyed US acres (2025); 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 Mohave Valley ranks

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

Nearby

Mojave Ranch Estates 3 mi · Arizona Village 3 mi · Willow Valley 4 mi · Mesquite Creek 4 mi · Fort Mohave 7 mi · Golden Shores 10 mi

All towns in Arizona · National map · How the scoring works

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 Mohave Valley (34.9024, -114.5714); 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.