Honey bee forage in Archer, Florida

When is the honey flow in Archer?

• First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
• Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 15, peaking late Feb (clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
• Fall flow: May 1 to May 15 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
• Season ends: Dec 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Archer, 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 Feb 13.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, dandelion; 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, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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

• Corn: about 433 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.7 mi SW, blooms late Apr – late May (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Blueberries: about 99 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi E, blooms early Feb – early Mar
• Dry beans: about 13 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.9 mi W, blooms late Apr – late Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Peas: about 12 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.3 mi NW, blooms late Feb – early Apr (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Millet: about 12 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi NE, blooms late Apr – late May (grown 1 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 Archer

Mostly: Eastern Warm Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Southern Coastal Plain Dry Upland Hardwood Forest; Southeastern Ruderal Grassland.

Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.69 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 1 mi NW.

Things to watch

• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Blueberries: insecticides used on about 74% of surveyed US acres (2025); Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025); Watermelons: insecticides used on about 38% of surveyed US acres (2024). 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 Archer ranks

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

About 78% 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

Raleigh 7 mi · East Bronson 7 mi · Newberry 8 mi · Bronson 10 mi · Williston 11 mi · East Williston 12 mi

All towns in Florida · 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 Archer (29.5458, -82.5169); 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.