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Bee forage check

How good is this spot for honey bees?

Enter an address or tap the map. You'll see which bee plants and crops are within flight range (about 3.7 miles, with nearer land counting more), when the honey flow comes and when there's a dearth, nearby water, a few things worth checking, and how the spot ranks against random sites in your state and across the country.

Or tap the map. We don't store your address or exact location.

The colors are the national forage map: every square kilometer of the lower 48, scored the same way. See the honey flow for your state and town, the best and worst spots we found, or how the scoring works.

Forage report for 34.8378, -120.5306

Estimated forage here is better than about 88% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in spring (86th percentile) and lowest in summer (58th). Biggest nearby bee crops: almonds (nearest 3.7 mi NE); dry beans (nearest 3.3 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); strawberries (nearest 3.6 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, less than 0.1 mi away. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 95th percentile (spring 98th, summer 32nd, fall 51st)
  • California: 88th percentile (spring 86th, summer 58th, fall 85th)
  • Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains: 69th percentile (spring 58th, summer 44th, fall 76th)

Percentile among 3,000 random land points across California, scored the same way; land in general, not beekeepers' yards.

Season

  • First forage: Jan 1 — Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard)
  • Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 30 — Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Spring-flowering shrubs
  • Fall flow: May 16 to Jun 15 — Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard)
  • Season ends: Sep 30

Bee crops nearby

  • Almonds: about 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.7 mi NE, blooms late Jan – early Mar
  • Dry beans: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.3 mi NE, blooms late Apr – late Jun
  • Dry beans: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.4 mi N, blooms late Apr – late Jun
  • Strawberries: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.6 mi NE, blooms early Jan – early Apr
  • Dry beans: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.6 mi NE, blooms late Apr – late Jun
  • Grapes: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.7 mi NE, blooms late Mar – late Apr

What the honey would be made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Spring-flowering shrubs, Summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber
  • Summer honey (July and August): Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Garden flowers; light amber
  • Fall honey (September to November): Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Garden flowers; amber
  • Whole season (March to November): Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Spring-flowering shrubs, Summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber

Things to watch

  • Near a FEMA high-risk flood zone. A mapped high-risk flood zone (A) is within about 300 m. Check FEMA's map for the exact spot.

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. Honey composition is a nectar-source estimate, not a pollen analysis. Benchmark 2026.5. How this works.