city in Alabama

Honey bee forage in Hanceville, Alabama

Estimated forage here is better than about 96% of sites in Alabama. Against other Alabama sites it stands out most in spring (100th percentile) and lowest in fall (89th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 1.2 mi N, grown 3 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Hanceville?

  • First forage: Jan 16 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
  • Main flow: Feb 16 to May 31, peaking late Mar (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
  • Fall flow: Jun 16 to Jul 15 (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, soybeans)
  • Season ends: Sep 30
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Hanceville, 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 22.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, soybeans, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, soybeans; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
  • Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, soybeans; 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 202 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.9 mi E, blooms early May – early Jul (grown 5 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 Hanceville

Mostly: Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland; Southern Appalachian Low-Elevation Pine Forest.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.24 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.28 mi NW.

Things to watch

  • Heavily developed. About 55% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.

How Hanceville ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US84th97th48th34th
Alabama96th100th91st89th
Southwestern Appalachians100th100th88th49th

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 57% 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 Hanceville: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Garden City 4 mi · Good Hope 7 mi · Dodge City 7 mi · Berlin 8 mi · East Point 9 mi · Cullman 9 mi

All towns in Alabama · 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 Hanceville (34.064, -86.7644); 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.