Honey bee forage in La Huerta, New Mexico

When is the honey flow in La Huerta?

• First forage: Jan 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Main flow: Feb 16 to May 15, peaking early Mar (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jul 31 (alfalfa, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of La Huerta, 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 Mar 12.

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): garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, cotton; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), rabbitbrush; amber
• Whole season (March to November): 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

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 118 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi S, blooms late Apr – early Jul (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
• Cotton: about 26 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi SE, blooms late Jun – 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 La Huerta

Mostly: Chihuahuan Mixed Desert and Thornscrub; North American Warm Desert Ruderal & Planted Scrub; Chihuahuan Creosotebush Desert Scrub.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.2 mi SW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.41 mi NE.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 55% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% 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 La Huerta ranks

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 40% 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.

Nearby

Carlsbad 3 mi · Livingston Wheeler 4 mi · Happy Valley 4 mi · Loving 13 mi · Malaga 18 mi · Whites City 21 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 La Huerta (32.4488, -104.2224); 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.