Honey bee forage in South Bay, Florida

When is the honey flow in South Bay?

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

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of South Bay, 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 Jan 29.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), garden flowers; amber
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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

• Sweet corn: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.3 mi S, blooms early Apr – early May (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 10 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.2 mi SW, blooms early Apr – early 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 South Bay

Mostly: Sugarcane; Open water; Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.13 mi S.

Things to watch

• Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 47% of the land within 3 miles is in crops bees get little from (such as wheat and other grains).
• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Sweet Corn: insecticides used on about 44% 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 South Bay ranks

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

About 39% 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

Belle Glade 4 mi · Lake Harbor 4 mi · Pahokee 10 mi · Clewiston 13 mi · Harlem 14 mi · Canal Point 14 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 South Bay (26.6884, -80.7355); 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.