Honey bee forage in Collins, Arkansas

When is the honey flow in Collins?

• First forage: Jan 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Main flow: Feb 16 to Jun 30, peaking late Mar (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Collins, 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 14.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans, summer-flowering shrubs, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), cotton, soybeans; 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): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans, summer-flowering shrubs, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); 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 112 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms late Apr – early Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Cotton: about 65 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 3 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 Collins

Mostly: Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; West Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Forest; Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.02 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.07 mi NE.

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 Collins ranks

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

About 85% 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.

Nearby

Dermott 8 mi · Jerome 11 mi · McGehee 12 mi · Reed 14 mi · Tillar 14 mi · Monticello 14 mi

All towns in Arkansas · 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 Collins (33.5323, -91.5724); 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.