community in California
Honey bee forage in Desert Center, California
Estimated forage here is better than about 10% of sites in California. Against other California sites it ranks highest in fall (24th percentile) and lowest in summer (7th). Expect a dearth from late Apr to early Aug.
When is the honey flow in Desert Center?
- First forage: Jan 1 (native wildflowers, dandelion)
- Main flow: Feb 1 to Apr 30, peaking late Feb (native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Dearth: Jan 1 to Jan 31
- Dearth: Apr 16 to Aug 15
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Desert Center, 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 11.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): rabbitbrush, garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; dark amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush, garden flowers; dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): native wildflowers, rabbitbrush, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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
- Citrus: about 112 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.4 mi NE, 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 Desert Center
Mostly: North American Warm Desert Pavement; Sonoran Paloverde-Mixed Cacti Desert Scrub; Sonora-Mojave Creosotebush-White Bursage Desert Scrub.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.31 mi NW.
How Desert Center ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 1st | 8th | 1st | 8th |
| California | 10th | 11th | 7th | 24th |
| Sonoran Basin and Range | 23rd | 31st | 21st | 13th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 94% 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 Desert Center: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Bombay Beach 34 mi · North Shore 35 mi · Niland 36 mi · Mesa Verde 38 mi · Calipatria 40 mi · Mecca 42 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 Desert Center (33.7378, -115.3666); 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.