community in New Mexico
Honey bee forage in Mescalero, New Mexico
Estimated forage here is better than about 19% of sites in New Mexico. Against other New Mexico sites it ranks highest in summer (38th percentile) and lowest in fall (5th). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 1.8 mi N).
When is the honey flow in Mescalero?
- First forage: Mar 1 (native wildflowers, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), spring-flowering shrubs)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking early Jun (summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Mescalero, 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): summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs, rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Apples: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.9 mi N, blooms late Apr – early May
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 Mescalero
Mostly: Madrean Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland; Madrean Upper Montane Conifer-Oak Forest and Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.15 mi SW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.15 mi SW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 77% 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 Mescalero ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 8th | 30th | 20th | 14th |
| New Mexico | 19th | 37th | 38th | 5th |
| Arizona/New Mexico Mountains | 24th | 38th | 49th | 16th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 98% 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 Mescalero: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Bent 4 mi · Cloudcroft 13 mi · Tularosa 13 mi · La Luz 14 mi · High Rolls 14 mi · Twin Forks 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 Mescalero (33.1346, -105.7999); 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.