community in New Mexico
Honey bee forage in Dulce, New Mexico
Estimated forage here is better than about 74% of sites in New Mexico. Against other New Mexico sites it stands out most in summer (96th percentile) and lowest in spring (43rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.5 mi SW, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Dulce?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (summer-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Dulce, 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 17.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), spotted and diffuse knapweed, summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
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 65 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.1 mi S, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 2 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 Dulce
Mostly: Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland; Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.17 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.23 mi W.
How Dulce ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 27th | 34th | 60th | 63rd |
| New Mexico | 74th | 43rd | 96th | 50th |
| Southern Rockies | 47th | 84th | 37th | 37th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 73% 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 Dulce: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Lumberton 4 mi · Chama 23 mi · Brazos 28 mi · Middle Mesa 28 mi · Los Ojos 28 mi · Tierra Amarilla 30 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 Dulce (36.9538, -107.0003); 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.