community in Georgia
Honey bee forage in Hortense, Georgia
Estimated forage here is better than about 86% of sites in Georgia. Against other Georgia sites it stands out most in fall (87th percentile) and lowest in summer (18th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.9 mi N, grown 3 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 0.9 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years); blueberries (nearest 2.3 mi E).
When is the honey flow in Hortense?
- First forage: Jan 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 15, peaking late Feb (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs)
- Fall flow: May 1 to May 15 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Hortense, 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 24.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton, garden flowers; 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), summer-flowering shrubs, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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 20 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi N, blooms late Apr – late May (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi N, blooms early Jun – late Jul (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 Hortense
Mostly: Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest; Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.02 mi W; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.17 mi W.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025); Blueberries: insecticides used on about 74% 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 Hortense ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 68th | 77th | 13th | 34th |
| Georgia | 86th | 59th | 18th | 87th |
| Southern Coastal Plain | 63rd | 74th | 65th | 44th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 87% 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 Hortense: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Nahunta 9 mi · Offerman 11 mi · Screven 11 mi · Patterson 11 mi · Waynesville 12 mi · Hickox 13 mi
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 Hortense (31.329, -81.954); 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.