community in New Mexico
Honey bee forage in Chamita, New Mexico
Estimated forage here is better than about 97% of sites in New Mexico. Against other New Mexico sites it stands out most in summer (96th percentile) and lowest in fall (61st). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.3 mi S, grown 4 of the last 5 years); cherries (nearest 1.2 mi W); peaches (nearest 1.1 mi W).
When is the honey flow in Chamita?
- First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Aug 15, peaking late Apr (alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Chamita, 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 22.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; 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
- Alfalfa: about 88 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi S, blooms early Jun – early Aug (grown 4 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 Chamita
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Grassland; Southern Rocky Mountain Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub-Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.22 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.3 mi SW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 84% of surveyed US acres (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% of surveyed US acres (2025); Peaches: insecticides used on about 86% 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 Chamita ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 51st | 60th | 61st | 69th |
| New Mexico | 97th | 89th | 96th | 61st |
| Arizona/New Mexico Plateau | 97th | 98th | 97th | 54th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 39% 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 Chamita: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Pueblito 1 mi · Hernandez 2 mi · El Duende 2 mi · San Jose 2 mi · Alcalde 2 mi · La Villita 3 mi
All towns in New Mexico · 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 Chamita (36.0693, -106.0938); 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.