community in California
Honey bee forage in Meridian, California
Estimated forage here is better than about 59% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in summer (61st percentile) and lowest in fall (12th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sunflower (nearest 0.3 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); almonds (nearest 0.1 mi NW); safflower (nearest 0.3 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Meridian?
- First forage: Jan 16 (almonds, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Feb 1 to Mar 15, peaking early Mar (almonds, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
- Fall flow: Apr 16 to Jun 30 (sunflower, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Season ends: Aug 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Meridian, 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 Mar 2.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): sunflower, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), almonds, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): watermelons, garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): sunflower, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), almonds, watermelons; 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
- Sunflower: about 13 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi E, blooms late Apr – late Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Almonds: about 714 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.3 mi N, blooms early Feb – late Mar
- Safflower: about 46 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi S, blooms early May – early Jun (grown 1 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 Meridian
Mostly: Walnuts; Rice; Almonds.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.08 mi W; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.22 mi NE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Watermelons: insecticides used on about 38% of surveyed US acres (2024). 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 Meridian ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 61st | 77th | 35th | 3rd |
| California | 59th | 51st | 61st | 12th |
| Central California Valley | 16th | 19th | 67th | 42nd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Meridian: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Grimes 5 mi · Colusa 7 mi · Sutter 9 mi · College City 11 mi · Arbuckle 12 mi · Williams 12 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 Meridian (39.1404, -121.9079); 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.