city in Arkansas
Honey bee forage in Madison, Arkansas
Estimated forage here is better than about 63% of sites in Arkansas. Against other Arkansas sites it stands out most in summer (75th percentile) and lowest in spring (48th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.6 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.4 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.6 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Madison?
- First forage: Jan 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: Feb 16 to Jul 15, peaking late Mar (soybeans, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 31 (cotton)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Madison, 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 25.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, soybeans, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, cotton; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); 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
- Cotton: about 2,541 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi S, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 387 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi E, blooms early May – early Jul (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 133 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi E, blooms late May – late Jun (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 Madison
Mostly: Crowley's Ridge Mesic Loess Slope Forest; Cotton; Crowley's Ridge Sand Forest.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.18 mi NW; open water 0.4 mi SW.
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 Madison ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 76th | 84th | 66th | 41st |
| Arkansas | 63rd | 48th | 75th | 72nd |
| Mississippi Valley Loess Plains | 50th | 47th | 65th | 92nd |
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 Madison: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Widener 3 mi · Forrest City 4 mi · Caldwell 6 mi · Colt 9 mi · Haynes 9 mi · Palestine 11 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 Madison (35.018, -90.7311); 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.