community in California
Honey bee forage in Piñon Hills, California
Estimated forage here is better than about 50% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in spring (55th percentile) and lowest in fall (41st). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 3.2 mi NE).
When is the honey flow in Piñon Hills?
- First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Feb 16 to May 15, peaking late Mar (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Piñon 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 Mar 18.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, rabbitbrush; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, rabbitbrush; dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spring-flowering shrubs, garden flowers; extra 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
- Apples: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.2 mi NE, blooms early Mar – late 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 Piñon Hills
Mostly: Mojave Mid-Elevation Mixed Desert Scrub; Great Basin Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Sonora-Mojave Semi-Desert Chaparral.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.15 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 2.69 mi SW.
How Piñon Hills ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 51st | 82nd | 22nd | 19th |
| California | 50th | 55th | 46th | 41st |
| Mojave Basin and Range | 98th | 98th | 96th | 18th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 66% 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 Piñon Hills: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Phelan 6 mi · Wrightwood 7 mi · Oak Hills 13 mi · Adelanto 14 mi · Lytle Creek 15 mi · Mountain View Acres 16 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 Piñon Hills (34.4456, -117.6236); 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.