Honey bee forage in Grass Valley, California

When is the honey flow in Grass Valley?

• First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, maples)
• Main flow: Mar 1 to May 31, peaking early Apr (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Grass Valley, 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 Mar 31.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, snowberry, maples; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, snowberry; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, snowberry; extra 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

• Cherries: about 9 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.5 mi W, blooms early Mar – late Mar
• Grapes: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.4 mi W, blooms early May – late May

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 Grass Valley

Mostly: Mediterranean California Lower Montane Conifer Forest and Woodland; Mediterranean California Lower Montane Black Oak-Conifer Forest and Woodland; Developed, open space (parks, large lots, lawns).

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.02 mi N; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.33 mi S.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 76% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 84% of surveyed US acres (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% of surveyed US acres (2025); 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). 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 Grass Valley ranks

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

About 39% 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.

Nearby

Nevada City 3 mi · Rough and Ready 5 mi · Alta Sierra 7 mi · Penn Valley 8 mi · Lake Wildwood 8 mi · Colfax 10 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 Grass Valley (39.2203, -121.0527); 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.