community in California
Honey bee forage in Delleker, California
Estimated forage here is better than about 59% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in summer (97th percentile) and lowest in spring (41st). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 3.7 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Delleker?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, kinnikinnick, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 31, peaking late May (snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Delleker, 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 May 20.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, ceanothus: redstem, kinnikinnick; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, ceanothus: redstem; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
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 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.7 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (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 Delleker
Mostly: Mediterranean California Dry-Mesic Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland; Mediterranean California Mesic Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland; California Montane Woodland and Chaparral.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.06 mi NE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.29 mi SE.
How Delleker ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 61st | 59th | 73rd | 68th |
| California | 59th | 41st | 97th | 95th |
| Sierra Nevada | 83rd | 55th | 93rd | 97th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 70% 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 Delleker: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Portola 1 mi · Iron Horse 2 mi · Lake Davis 3 mi · Mabie 4 mi · Gold Mountain 4 mi · Beckwourth 5 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 Delleker (39.8133, -120.4897); 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.