community in California

Honey bee forage in Phillipsville, California

Estimated forage here is better than about 45% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in spring (55th percentile) and lowest in fall (23rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: grapes (nearest 0.3 mi W).

When is the honey flow in Phillipsville?

  • First forage: Jan 16 (dandelion, maples, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
  • Main flow: Feb 16 to May 31, peaking late Mar (summer-flowering shrubs, huckleberries, dandelion)
  • Season ends: Aug 15
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Phillipsville, 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 13.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering shrubs, huckleberries, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
  • Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
  • Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, huckleberries, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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

  • Grapes: about 8 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi W, blooms late Apr – early May

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 Phillipsville

Mostly: Mediterranean California Mixed Evergreen Forest; California Coastal Redwood Forest; California Ruderal Grassland and Meadow.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.14 mi E; pond, lake or river 0.46 mi S.

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 Phillipsville ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US45th82nd11th8th
California45th55th33rd23rd
Coast Range14th17th14th68th

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

About 87% 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 Phillipsville: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Miranda 2 mi · Myers Flat 6 mi · Redway 7 mi · Garberville 8 mi · Alderpoint 9 mi · Benbow 10 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 Phillipsville (40.2107, -123.7812); 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.