community in New Mexico
Honey bee forage in Homestead, New Mexico
Estimated forage here is better than about 27% of sites in New Mexico. Against other New Mexico sites it stands out most in summer (53rd percentile) and lowest in spring (20th). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), 0.29 mi W.
When is the honey flow in Homestead?
- First forage: Apr 1 (native wildflowers, dandelion, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Main flow: May 1 to Sep 15, peaking late May (spring-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 31 (rabbitbrush, green/yellow rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Homestead, 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 10.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, rabbitbrush, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush, green/yellow rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, rubber rabbitbrush; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed, rabbitbrush; 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
No rated bee crops within about 3.7 miles of the town center. The forage here is wild plants, trees and gardens.
The land and water around Homestead
Mostly: Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub-Steppe; Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.29 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.3 mi SW.
How Homestead ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 9th | 20th | 26th | 61st |
| New Mexico | 27th | 20th | 53rd | 47th |
| Arizona/New Mexico Mountains | 38th | 19th | 63rd | 79th |
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 Homestead: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Datil 2 mi · Pie Town 22 mi · Alamo 28 mi · Magdalena 37 mi · Quemado 38 mi · Aragon 41 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 Homestead (34.1455, -107.8782); 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.