Honey bee forage in Kettleman City, California

When is the honey flow in Kettleman City?

• First forage: Jan 16 (almonds, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
• Main flow: Feb 1 to Mar 15, peaking early Mar (almonds, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Season ends: Jul 15

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Kettleman City, 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 28.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), almonds, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), almonds, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; 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

• Almonds: about 909 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi N, blooms early Feb – early Mar
• Citrus: about 50 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.7 mi NW, blooms late Mar – early May
• Apricots: about 12 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi NW, blooms early Feb – late Feb

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 Kettleman City

Mostly: California Ruderal Grassland and Meadow; Almonds; California Central Valley and Southern Coastal Grassland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.37 mi NW; pond, lake or river 0.4 mi SW.

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); Apricots: insecticides used on about 76% of surveyed US acres (2025); Peaches: insecticides used on about 86% 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 Kettleman City ranks

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

Nearby

Avenal 9 mi · Stratford 15 mi · Huron 15 mi · Lemoore Station 18 mi · Lemoore 22 mi · Coalinga 23 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 Kettleman City (36.009, -119.9629); 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.