city in California
Honey bee forage in Susanville, California
Estimated forage here is better than about 67% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in summer (99th percentile) and lowest in spring (41st). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.2 mi S, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Susanville?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, snowberry)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Susanville, 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 5.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, himalayan blackberry, snowberry; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, himalayan blackberry, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, snowberry; 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 351 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi S, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 3 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 Susanville
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; California Montane Jeffrey Pine-(Ponderosa Pine) Woodland; Interior Western North American Temperate Ruderal Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.48 mi SE; pond, lake or river 0.55 mi SW.
How Susanville ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 70th | 60th | 77th | 80th |
| California | 67th | 41st | 99th | 98th |
| Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills | 78th | 83rd | 69th | 89th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Susanville: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Johnstonville 4 mi · Janesville 12 mi · Litchfield 13 mi · Spaulding 17 mi · Stones Landing 19 mi · Westwood 22 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 Susanville (40.4337, -120.6283); 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.