community in New Mexico
Honey bee forage in Vanderwagen, New Mexico
Estimated forage here is better than about 23% of sites in New Mexico. Against other New Mexico sites it ranks highest in fall (47th percentile) and lowest in spring (19th). 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 Vanderwagen?
- First forage: Apr 1 (native wildflowers, weedy mustards, dandelion)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 31, peaking late May (spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, summer-flowering shrubs)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Oct 31 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, rabbitbrush)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Vanderwagen, 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 9.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, native wildflowers, summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, rabbitbrush, asters; dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, green/yellow rabbitbrush, native wildflowers; 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
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 Vanderwagen
Mostly: Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.09 mi NW; pond, lake or river 0.31 mi S.
How Vanderwagen ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 8th | 20th | 22nd | 61st |
| New Mexico | 23rd | 19th | 44th | 47th |
| Arizona/New Mexico Plateau | 38th | 34th | 57th | 40th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 65% 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 Vanderwagen: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Sagar 2 mi · Pinehaven 6 mi · Black Rock 14 mi · McGaffey 14 mi · Catalpa Canyon 15 mi · Zuni Pueblo 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 Vanderwagen (35.2745, -108.7444); 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.