community in New Mexico
Honey bee forage in Golden Acres, New Mexico
Estimated forage here is better than about 93% of sites in New Mexico. Against other New Mexico sites it stands out most in summer (93rd percentile) and lowest in spring (65th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.9 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Golden Acres?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, weedy mustards)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Sep 30, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Fall flow: Oct 16 to Oct 31 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Golden Acres, 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 30.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, weedy mustards, native wildflowers; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, yellow starthistle, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), yellow starthistle; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed, weedy mustards; 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 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.9 mi NW, blooms late 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 Golden Acres
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub-Steppe; Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.06 mi W; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.11 mi E.
How Golden Acres ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 37th | 46th | 50th | 84th |
| New Mexico | 93rd | 65th | 93rd | 87th |
| Arizona/New Mexico Plateau | 95th | 91st | 95th | 85th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 33% 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 Golden Acres: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Milan 2 mi · Broadview 3 mi · Bluewater Village 6 mi · Grants 6 mi · San Rafael 8 mi · Mount Taylor 9 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 Golden Acres (35.2112, -107.9183); 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.