community in California
Honey bee forage in Hat Creek, California
Estimated forage here is better than about 24% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in summer (51st percentile) and lowest in fall (15th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 3.1 mi S, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Hat Creek?
- First forage: Mar 16 (spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, kinnikinnick)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jun 30, peaking early May (spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Hat Creek, 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 2.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, snowberry; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, snowberry, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, snowberry; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
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 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.1 mi S, blooms late Jun – early Aug (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 Hat Creek
Mostly: California Montane Woodland and Chaparral; Northern and Central California Dry-Mesic Chaparral; Mediterranean California Dry-Mesic Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 1.09 mi E; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 1.14 mi E.
Things to watch
- No mapped water within a mile. Plan to provide water. Small ponds, ditches, troughs and pools don't show on these maps.
How Hat Creek ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 10th | 36th | 27th | 4th |
| California | 24th | 32nd | 51st | 15th |
| Cascades | 1st | 25th | 1st | 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 Hat Creek: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Old Station 9 mi · Cassel 10 mi · Johnson Park 12 mi · Burney 13 mi · Fall River Mills 15 mi · Little Valley 17 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 Hat Creek (40.7898, -121.4745); 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.