village in New Mexico
Honey bee forage in Loving, New Mexico
Estimated forage here is better than about 100% of sites in New Mexico. Against other New Mexico sites it stands out most in spring (100th percentile) and lowest in fall (6th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.3 mi W, grown 4 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 0.5 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 0.4 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Loving?
- First forage: Jan 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Feb 1 to Jun 30, peaking late Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, dandelion)
- Season ends: Aug 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Loving, 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 10.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), garden flowers, alfalfa; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, rabbitbrush, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); 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 942 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi E, blooms late Apr – early Jul (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 9 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi W, 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 Loving
Mostly: North American Warm Desert Ruderal & Planted Scrub; Chihuahuan Mixed Desert and Thornscrub; Alfalfa.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.19 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.35 mi N.
Things to watch
- 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 Loving ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 78th | 95th | 44th | 15th |
| New Mexico | 100th | 100th | 85th | 6th |
| Chihuahuan Deserts | 100th | 100th | 99th | 8th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 45% 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 Loving: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Malaga 5 mi · Livingston Wheeler 10 mi · Carlsbad 12 mi · La Huerta 13 mi · Happy Valley 15 mi · Whites City 18 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 Loving (32.2862, -104.0978); 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.