community in Arizona
Honey bee forage in Parker Strip, Arizona
Estimated forage here is better than about 51% of sites in Arizona. Against other Arizona sites it stands out most in spring (51st percentile) and lowest in fall (24th). Expect a dearth from late May to late Jun.
When is the honey flow in Parker Strip?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 15, peaking late Feb (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, native wildflowers)
- Dearth: May 16 to Jun 30
- Fall flow: May 1 to May 15 (native wildflowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Parker Strip, 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 13.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, native wildflowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): rabbitbrush, garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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, rabbitbrush, dandelion, native wildflowers; 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 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.3 mi NW, blooms early Apr – late May (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 15 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.8 mi NE, blooms late May – late Jul (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 Parker Strip
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) 0.04 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.23 mi W.
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 Parker Strip ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 8th | 26th | 3rd | 25th |
| Arizona | 51st | 51st | 32nd | 24th |
| Sonoran Basin and Range | 75th | 70th | 77th | 38th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 77% 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 Parker Strip: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Cienega Springs 7 mi · Bluewater 10 mi · Parker 17 mi · Lake Havasu City 19 mi · Desert Hills 24 mi · Poston 25 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 Parker Strip (34.2707, -114.1297); 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.