city in Georgia

Honey bee forage in Nicholls, Georgia

Estimated forage here is better than about 95% of sites in Georgia. Against other Georgia sites it stands out most in fall (80th percentile) and lowest in spring (69th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.4 mi NW, grown 4 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.5 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years); blueberries (nearest 1.2 mi S).

When is the honey flow in Nicholls?

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

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Nicholls, 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): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton, dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Summer honey (July and August): cotton, garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
  • Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
  • Whole season (March to November): cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid

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 42 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NW, blooms early Jun – late Jul (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 Nicholls

Mostly: Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; Southeastern Ruderal Grassland; Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.28 mi N.

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 Nicholls ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US77th81st33rd27th
Georgia95th69th72nd80th
Southern Coastal Plain75th82nd97th34th

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

About 60% 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 Nicholls: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Alma 10 mi · Douglas 13 mi · Rockingham 13 mi · Denton 14 mi · Dixie Union 16 mi · Broxton 16 mi

All towns in Georgia · 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 Nicholls (31.5204, -82.6381); 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.