Honey bee forage in Yreka, California

When is the honey flow in Yreka?

• First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spring-flowering shrubs)
• Main flow: Apr 16 to Jun 30, peaking early May (spring-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs)
• Fall flow: Jul 16 to Aug 15 (spotted and diffuse knapweed, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Yreka, 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 Apr 23.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): spring-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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 13 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi E, blooms early Jun – early 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 Yreka

Mostly: Northern and Central California Dry-Mesic Chaparral; Interior Western North American Temperate Ruderal Grassland; California Ruderal Grassland and Meadow.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.28 mi NE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.5 mi SW.

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 Yreka ranks

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

About 45% 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.

Nearby

Montague 5 mi · Grenada 8 mi · Hornbrook 13 mi · Fort Jones 13 mi · Gazelle 16 mi · Lake Shastina 19 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 Yreka (41.724, -122.6316); 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.