community in California
Honey bee forage in Lake Davis, California
Estimated forage here is better than about 43% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in summer (93rd percentile) and lowest in spring (37th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.3 mi E, grown 4 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Lake Davis?
- First forage: Apr 1 (kinnikinnick, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), maples)
- Main flow: May 1 to Jul 15, peaking late May (snowberry, ceanothus: redstem, kinnikinnick)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Lake Davis, 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 20.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): kinnikinnick, ceanothus: redstem, spring-flowering shrubs, snowberry; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, summer-flowering shrubs, ceanothus: redstem, kinnikinnick; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, ceanothus: redstem, kinnikinnick, spring-flowering shrubs; 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 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.3 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 4 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 Lake Davis
Mostly: Mediterranean California Dry-Mesic Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland; Mediterranean California Mesic Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland; California Montane Woodland and Chaparral.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.09 mi W; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.1 mi W.
How Lake Davis ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 42nd | 48th | 67th | 39th |
| California | 43rd | 37th | 93rd | 73rd |
| Sierra Nevada | 56th | 47th | 83rd | 69th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 92% 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 Lake Davis: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Portola 2 mi · Beckwourth 2 mi · Delleker 3 mi · Iron Horse 5 mi · Mabie 7 mi · Gold Mountain 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 Lake Davis (39.8524, -120.4584); 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.