town in Arizona
Honey bee forage in Wellton, Arizona
Estimated forage here is better than about 41% of sites in Arizona. Against other Arizona sites it stands out most in spring (63rd percentile) and lowest in fall (3rd). Expect a dearth in late Jan.
When is the honey flow in Wellton?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Mar 1 to Apr 30, peaking early Apr (citrus)
- Dearth: Jan 16 to Jan 31
- Dearth: Jun 16 to Jun 30
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Wellton, 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): citrus, alfalfa, cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, rabbitbrush, garden flowers, cantaloupes; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush, garden flowers; dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): citrus, cotton, alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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
- Citrus: about 64 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi NE, blooms early Mar – late Apr
- Alfalfa: about 89 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi N, blooms early Apr – late May (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 40 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi N, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 2 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 Wellton
Mostly: North American Warm Desert Pavement; Sonora-Mojave Creosotebush-White Bursage Desert Scrub; Barren.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.02 mi W; open water 0.02 mi W.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. 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); Cantaloupes: insecticides used on about 87% of surveyed US acres (2024). 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 Wellton ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 6th | 34th | 3rd | 6th |
| Arizona | 41st | 63rd | 31st | 3rd |
| Sonoran Basin and Range | 71st | 76th | 75th | 10th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 57% 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 Wellton: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Wellton Hills 4 mi · Fortuna Foothills 11 mi · Tacna 15 mi · Buckshot 17 mi · El Prado Estates 18 mi · Yuma 20 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 Wellton (32.6401, -114.2152); 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.