Honey bee forage in Westside, California

When is the honey flow in Westside?

• First forage: Jan 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
• Main flow: Feb 16 to May 15, peaking late Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jul 31 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton)
• Season ends: Aug 15

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Westside, 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 2.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, chick Peas; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cantaloupes, garden flowers; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, cantaloupes; extra 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

• Grapes: about 333 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi SE, blooms early Apr – early May
• Cantaloupes: about 42 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi N, blooms late Apr – late Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Chickpeas: about 29 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi E, blooms late Apr – late May (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Cotton: about 30 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi S, blooms early Jun – early Aug (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 Westside

Mostly: Pistachios; Fallow / idle cropland; Grapes.

Nearest mapped water: open water 1.19 mi NE; pond, lake or river 1.29 mi NE.

Things to watch

• Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 49% of the land within 3 miles is in crops bees get little from (such as wheat and other grains).
• 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); Cantaloupes: insecticides used on about 87% of surveyed US acres (2024); Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025); Watermelons: insecticides used on about 38% of surveyed US acres (2024). 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.
• No mapped water within a mile. Plan to provide water. Small ponds, ditches, troughs and pools don't show on these maps.

How Westside ranks

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

Nearby

Lanare 11 mi · Cantua Creek 12 mi · Huron 14 mi · San Joaquin 14 mi · Riverdale 15 mi · Three Rocks 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 Westside (36.4042, -120.1343); 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.