Honey bee forage in Chualar, California

When is the honey flow in Chualar?

• First forage: Jan 16 (almonds, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
• Main flow: Feb 1 to Mar 15, peaking late Feb (almonds, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
• Fall flow: Apr 1 to Jun 15 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa)
• Season ends: Jul 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Chualar, 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 23.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dry Beans; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cucumbers, watermelons; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dry Beans; 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

• Grapes: about 676 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms late Mar – late Apr
• Almonds: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NW, blooms early Feb – early Mar
• Dry beans: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi SE, blooms late Apr – late Jun (grown 1 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 Chualar

Mostly: Misc Vegs & Fruits; California Ruderal Grassland and Meadow; Grapes.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.32 mi SE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.6 mi S.

Things to watch

• Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 40% of the land within 3 miles is in crops bees get little from (such as wheat and other grains).
• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Grapes (all types): insecticides used on about 58% of surveyed US acres (2021); Grapes, wine type: insecticides used on about 56% of surveyed US acres (2025); Grapes, table type: insecticides used on about 50% of surveyed US acres (2025); Grapes, raisin type: insecticides used on about 77% of surveyed US acres (2025); Sweet Corn: insecticides used on about 44% of surveyed US acres (2024); Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 84% of surveyed US acres (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% of surveyed US acres (2025); Apricots: insecticides used on about 76% 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 Chualar ranks

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

Nearby

Gonzales 6 mi · Spreckels 8 mi · Salinas 11 mi · Boronda 12 mi · Carmel Valley Village 13 mi · Soledad 14 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 Chualar (36.5711, -121.5103); 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.