Honey bee forage in Apple Valley, California

When is the honey flow in Apple Valley?

• First forage: Jan 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Main flow: Feb 1 to May 15, peaking early Mar (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jun 30 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Apple 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 Mar 10.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, rabbitbrush; dark amber
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), garden flowers; 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 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi N, blooms late Apr – late Jun (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Peaches: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.5 mi S, blooms late Feb – early Mar
• Apples: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.7 mi SW, blooms early Mar – late Mar

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 Apple Valley

Mostly: North American Warm Desert Ruderal & Planted Scrub; Mojave Mid-Elevation Mixed Desert Scrub; Developed, low intensity (houses and yards).

Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.99 mi S; open water 1.44 mi N.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 78% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.

How Apple Valley ranks

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

About 42% 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.

Nearby

Spring Valley Lake 4 mi · Victorville 8 mi · Mountain View Acres 8 mi · Hesperia 11 mi · Adelanto 13 mi · Oak Hills 15 mi

All towns in California · 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 Apple Valley (34.5334, -117.2104); 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.