city in Arkansas

Honey bee forage in Grady, Arkansas

Estimated forage here is better than about 96% of sites in Arkansas. Against other Arkansas sites it stands out most in spring and summer (92nd percentile) and lowest in fall (14th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (right here, grown 4 of the last 5 years); watermelons (nearest 0.3 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.1 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Grady?

  • First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
  • Main flow: May 1 to Jul 15, peaking late May (soybeans)
  • Season ends: Aug 31
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Grady, 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 17.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), watermelons, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Summer honey (July and August): cotton, soybeans, watermelons; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
  • Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, watermelons, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
  • Whole season (March to November): soybeans, cotton, watermelons, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few 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 5,640 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms early May – early Jul (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
  • Watermelons: about 269 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi S, blooms early May – late Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
  • Corn: about 337 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi NE, blooms late May – late Jun (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
  • Cotton: about 51 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi E, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 4 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 Grady

Mostly: Soybeans; Rice; Corn.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.04 mi NE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.08 mi SW.

Things to watch

  • Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Watermelons: insecticides used on about 38% of surveyed US acres (2024); 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 Grady ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US98th97th90th6th
Arkansas96th92nd92nd14th
Mississippi Alluvial Plain82nd74th75th35th

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

The national forage map around Grady: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Gould 10 mi · Star City 12 mi · Mitchellville 16 mi · Dumas 18 mi · Gillett 19 mi · Altheimer 20 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 Grady (34.0725, -91.6976); 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.