Honey bee forage in Mission Hills, California

When is the honey flow in Mission Hills?

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

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Mission Hills, 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 21.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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), summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid

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 0.9 mi SW, blooms early Apr – early Jun (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Dry beans: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi S, blooms late Apr – late Jun (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Grapes: about 20 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.1 mi SE, blooms late Mar – late Apr
• Chickpeas: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi S, blooms early Apr – early May (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Almonds: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi S, blooms early Feb – early Mar

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 Mission Hills

Mostly: Southern California Coastal Scrub; California Coastal Live Oak Woodland and Savanna; Southern California Dry-Mesic Chaparral.

Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.49 mi E; open water 0.49 mi E.

Things to watch

• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Grapes (all types): insecticides used on about 58% of surveyed US acres (2021); Grapes, wine type: insecticides used on about 56% of surveyed US acres (2025); Grapes, table type: insecticides used on about 50% of surveyed US acres (2025); Grapes, raisin type: insecticides used on about 77% 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 Mission Hills ranks

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

About 62% 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

Vandenberg Village 2 mi · Lompoc 3 mi · Vandenberg AFB 5 mi · Los Alamos 10 mi · Casmalia 12 mi · Orcutt 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 Mission Hills (34.6888, -120.4398); 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.