town in Alabama
Honey bee forage in Forkland, Alabama
Estimated forage here is better than about 87% of sites in Alabama. Against other Alabama sites it stands out most in spring (92nd percentile) and lowest in fall (56th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.6 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 2.5 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 2.2 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Forkland?
- First forage: Jan 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Feb 1 to May 15, peaking early Mar (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jun 30 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Jul 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Forkland, 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 Mar 8.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Soybeans: about 14 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi S, blooms late Apr – late Jun (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.5 mi W, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 2 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 Forkland
Mostly: East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest; Eastern Warm Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.03 mi SW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.1 mi NW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% 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.
How Forkland ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 75th | 94th | 27th | 14th |
| Alabama | 87th | 92nd | 71st | 56th |
| Southeastern Plains | 81st | 91st | 56th | 57th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 86% 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 Forkland: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Demopolis 10 mi · Boligee 13 mi · Eutaw 14 mi · Epes 16 mi · Greensboro 16 mi · Akron 18 mi
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 Forkland (32.6474, -87.8674); 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.