community in California
Honey bee forage in Milford, California
Estimated forage here is better than about 37% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in fall (94th percentile) and lowest in spring (36th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.0 mi NE); peas (nearest 2.1 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sweet corn (nearest 1.7 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Milford?
- First forage: Mar 16 (kinnikinnick, weedy mustards, dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 15, peaking early May (snowberry, spring-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Milford, 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 3.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, snowberry, kinnikinnick, ceanothus: redstem; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, alfalfa, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, spring-flowering shrubs, kinnikinnick; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few 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 102 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi N, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Peas: about 40 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.1 mi N, blooms early May – late 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 Milford
Mostly: California Montane Jeffrey Pine-(Ponderosa Pine) Woodland; Mediterranean California Dry-Mesic Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland; Great Basin & Intermountain Ruderal Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.02 mi N; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.65 mi NW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Sweet Corn: insecticides used on about 44% 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 Milford ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 29th | 46th | 51st | 64th |
| California | 37th | 36th | 77th | 94th |
| Sierra Nevada | 41st | 47th | 54th | 96th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 58% 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 Milford: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Patton Village 10 mi · Herlong 12 mi · Janesville 12 mi · Doyle 16 mi · Litchfield 16 mi · Johnstonville 20 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 Milford (40.1495, -120.3702); 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.