community in New Mexico
Honey bee forage in Peña Blanca, New Mexico
Estimated forage here is better than about 94% of sites in New Mexico. Against other New Mexico sites it stands out most in summer (88th percentile) and lowest in fall (66th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.5 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Peña Blanca?
- First forage: Feb 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, weedy mustards)
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Aug 31, peaking early Apr (clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Peña Blanca, 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 11.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, alfalfa, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, rabbitbrush; amber
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; 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 41 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi W, blooms late May – 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 Peña Blanca
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Grassland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub-Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.09 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.33 mi NW.
How Peña Blanca ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 40th | 57th | 45th | 72nd |
| New Mexico | 94th | 85th | 88th | 66th |
| Arizona/New Mexico Plateau | 95th | 96th | 93rd | 60th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 46% 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 Peña Blanca: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Cochiti 3 mi · Santo Domingo Pueblo 4 mi · La Bajada 5 mi · Cochiti Lake 5 mi · San Felipe Pueblo 10 mi · La Cienega 12 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 Peña Blanca (35.5709, -106.332); 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.