town in New Mexico
Honey bee forage in Estancia, New Mexico
Estimated forage here is better than about 86% of sites in New Mexico. Against other New Mexico sites it stands out most in summer (92nd percentile) and lowest in spring (62nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi SW, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.8 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 0.3 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Estancia?
- First forage: Mar 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers, dandelion)
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Sep 15, peaking early Aug (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 31 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Estancia, 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 24.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers, alfalfa; 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
- Alfalfa: about 1,991 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi E, blooms early Jun – late Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 30 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.9 mi N, blooms early Jul – late 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 Estancia
Mostly: Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Inter-Mountain Basins Greasewood Flat; Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub-Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.12 mi NW; pond, lake or river 0.46 mi SE.
How Estancia ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 31st | 45th | 49th | 79th |
| New Mexico | 86th | 62nd | 92nd | 77th |
| Southwestern Tablelands | 48th | 23rd | 82nd | 57th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 78% 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 Estancia: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
McIntosh 8 mi · Willard 12 mi · Chilili 14 mi · Tajique 15 mi · Torreon 15 mi · Indian Hills 16 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 Estancia (34.7643, -106.0386); 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.