Honey bee forage in Los Osos, California

When is the honey flow in Los Osos?

• First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 15, peaking late Feb (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Los Osos, 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 18.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, 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): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; 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

• Alfalfa: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi SE, blooms early Apr – early Jun (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Almonds: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.1 mi E, blooms late Jan – early Mar
• Dry beans: about 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.5 mi E, blooms late Apr – late Jun (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Apples: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.2 mi SW, 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 Los Osos

Mostly: California Coastal Live Oak Woodland and Savanna; Open water; Northern and Central California Dry-Mesic Chaparral.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.23 mi NE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.3 mi NE.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 51% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.

How Los Osos ranks

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

About 54% 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

Morro Bay 5 mi · California Polytechnic State University 9 mi · San Luis Obispo 9 mi · Avila Beach 9 mi · Cayucos 10 mi · Los Ranchos 13 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 Los Osos (35.3071, -120.8245); 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.