city in California
Honey bee forage in Needles, California
Estimated forage here is better than about 18% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in fall (52nd percentile) and lowest in summer (18th). Expect a dearth from early May to late Sep.
When is the honey flow in Needles?
- First forage: Jan 1 (native wildflowers, dandelion)
- Main flow: Feb 1 to Apr 30, peaking late Feb (native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Dearth: Jan 1 to Jan 15
- Dearth: May 1 to Sep 30
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Needles, 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 12.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers, dandelion, spring-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): rabbitbrush, garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; dark amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush, garden flowers; dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): rabbitbrush, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers, dandelion; 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 972 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.2 mi NE, blooms early Apr – late May (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Citrus: about 9 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.4 mi NE, blooms early Mar – late Apr
- Cotton: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.9 mi NE, blooms late May – late Jul (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 Needles
Mostly: Sonora-Mojave Creosotebush-White Bursage Desert Scrub; North American Warm Desert Pavement; Sonora-Mojave Mixed Salt Desert Scrub.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.03 mi NW; pond, lake or river 1.68 mi NE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% 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 Needles ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 4th | 16th | 3rd | 26th |
| California | 18th | 22nd | 18th | 52nd |
| Mojave Basin and Range | 78th | 64th | 68th | 34th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 90% 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 Needles: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Bluewater 49 mi · Big River 49 mi · Blythe 80 mi · Mesa Verde 84 mi · Desert Center 85 mi · Baker 88 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 Needles (34.8134, -114.6266); 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.