Honey bee forage in Blythe, California

When is the honey flow in Blythe?

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

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Blythe, 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, cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Summer honey (July and August): cotton, garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, rabbitbrush; amber
• Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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 8,503 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms early Apr – late May (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Cotton: about 131 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi E, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Citrus: about 322 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.2 mi NW, 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 Blythe

Mostly: Alfalfa; Sonora-Mojave Creosotebush-White Bursage Desert Scrub; Barren.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.08 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.19 mi E.

Things to watch

• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% 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); 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 Blythe ranks

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

Nearby

Mesa Verde 7 mi · Ripley 9 mi · Palo Verde 17 mi · Big River 37 mi · Bluewater 41 mi · Desert Center 43 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 Blythe (33.6535, -114.6218); 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.