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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 what blooms within flight range (about 3.7 miles, with nearer land counting more) and when, the gaps in the season, nearby water, a few things worth checking, and how the spot ranks against random sites in your state and across the country.

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Forage report for 35.5349, -119.7595

Estimated forage here is better than about 100% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in spring (100th percentile) and lowest in fall (20th). Biggest nearby bee crops: citrus (right here); almonds (nearest 1.3 mi S); safflower (nearest 0.6 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), less than 0.1 mi away. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 100th percentile (spring 100th, summer 12th, fall 6th)
  • California: 100th percentile (spring 100th, summer 35th, fall 20th)
  • Central California Valley: 98th percentile (spring 98th, summer 27th, fall 55th)

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

Season

  • First forage: Feb 1 — Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Dandelion, Almonds
  • Main flow: Mar 16 to May 15 — Citrus
  • Season ends: May 15

Bee crops nearby

  • Citrus: about 3,665 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms late Mar – early May
  • Almonds: about 3,512 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.7 mi N, blooms early Feb – early Mar
  • Almonds: about 204 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi SE, blooms early Feb – early Mar
  • Almonds: about 506 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.9 mi NW, blooms early Feb – early Mar
  • Almonds: about 2,019 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.3 mi SE, blooms early Feb – early Mar
  • Safflower: about 42 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi S, blooms early May – early Jun

What the honey would be made of

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

Things to watch

  • Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Citrus: grapefruit: insecticides used on about 63% of surveyed US acres (2025); Citrus: lemons: insecticides used on about 75% of surveyed US acres (2025); Citrus: tangerines: insecticides used on about 82% 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.
  • Flood map not checked. FEMA's flood map service didn't answer. Check it directly.

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.