community in New Mexico
Honey bee forage in Valencia, New Mexico
Estimated forage here is better than about 36% of sites in New Mexico. Against other New Mexico sites it stands out most in summer (67th percentile) and lowest in fall (16th). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), less than 0.1 mi away.
When is the honey flow in Valencia?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, native wildflowers)
- Main flow: May 1 to Jul 31, peaking late May (summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Aug 16 to Aug 31 (summer-flowering shrubs, rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Valencia, 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 11.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, dandelion, native wildflowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion, native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs; 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 Valencia
Mostly: Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland; Southern Rocky Mountain Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Southern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.18 mi SE.
How Valencia ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 11th | 29th | 32nd | 34th |
| New Mexico | 36th | 37th | 67th | 16th |
| Southern Rockies | 14th | 77th | 8th | 10th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 91% 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 Valencia: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Glorieta 2 mi · La Cueva 3 mi · Cañoncito 4 mi · Cañada de los Alamos 4 mi · Pecos 6 mi · Santa Fe Foothills 7 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 Valencia (35.578, -105.7908); 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.