city in Georgia
Honey bee forage in Patterson, Georgia
Estimated forage here is better than about 85% of sites in Georgia. Against other Georgia sites it stands out most in spring and fall (64th percentile) and lowest in summer (52nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.7 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years); blueberries (nearest 1.1 mi NE); cotton (nearest 0.6 mi N, grown 4 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Patterson?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Feb 1 to Apr 30, peaking late Feb (clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
- Fall flow: May 16 to Jun 15 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Patterson, 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), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, cotton, 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
- Corn: about 58 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi NW, blooms late Apr – late May (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Blueberries: about 67 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi N, blooms early Feb – early Mar
- Cotton: about 14 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi N, 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 Patterson
Mostly: Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; Southeastern Ruderal Grassland; Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.12 mi SE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.13 mi SE.
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). 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 Patterson ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 67th | 78th | 24th | 15th |
| Georgia | 85th | 64th | 52nd | 64th |
| Southern Coastal Plain | 62nd | 77th | 89th | 14th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 65% 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 Patterson: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Offerman 2 mi · Bristol 7 mi · Mershon 9 mi · Blackshear 10 mi · Screven 10 mi · Hortense 11 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 Patterson (31.3849, -82.1354); 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.