Honey bee forage in Cowan, California

When is the honey flow in Cowan?

• First forage: Feb 1 (almonds)
• Main flow: Feb 1 to Mar 15, peaking late Feb (almonds)
• Season ends: Jun 15

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Cowan, 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 28.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): almonds, alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers
• Whole season (March to November): almonds, alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; 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

• Almonds: about 5,725 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi S, blooms early Feb – early Mar
• Grapes: about 107 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi S, blooms early Apr – late Apr
• Alfalfa: about 86 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi SW, blooms late Apr – early Jun (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 Cowan

Mostly: Almonds; Developed, medium intensity; Developed, open space (parks, large lots, lawns).

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.7 mi W.

Things to watch

• 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); Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 84% of surveyed US acres (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% of surveyed US acres (2025); Peaches: insecticides used on about 86% 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 Cowan ranks

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

Nearby

Monterey Park Tract 3 mi · Ceres 3 mi · Bret Harte 3 mi · Parklawn 3 mi · Riverdale Park 4 mi · Bystrom 4 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 Cowan (37.5601, -120.9888); 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.