Honey bee forage in Indian Wells, California

When is the honey flow in Indian Wells?

• First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Feb 1 to Apr 30, peaking early Feb (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, native wildflowers)
• Fall flow: May 16 to Jun 30 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers)
• Season ends: Dec 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Indian Wells, 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 10.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, rabbitbrush, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, rabbitbrush; dark amber
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, dandelion, rabbitbrush; extra light amber, likely to set over some months

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 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi NE, blooms late Feb – late Apr
• Alfalfa: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi NE, blooms early Apr – late May (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 Indian Wells

Mostly: Sonora-Mojave Creosotebush-White Bursage Desert Scrub; Developed, medium intensity; Developed, low intensity (houses and yards).

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.06 mi W; open water 0.21 mi S.

Things to watch

• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Citrus: grapefruit: insecticides used on about 63% of surveyed US acres (2025); Citrus: lemons: insecticides used on about 75% of surveyed US acres (2025); Citrus: tangerines: insecticides used on about 82% 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 Indian Wells ranks

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

About 62% 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

Palm Desert 3 mi · Bermuda Dunes 4 mi · La Quinta 5 mi · Desert Palms 6 mi · Indio 6 mi · Rancho Mirage 7 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 Indian Wells (33.6999, -116.3295); 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.