community in Georgia

Honey bee forage in Sunny Side, Georgia

Estimated forage here is better than about 88% of sites in Georgia. Against other Georgia sites it stands out most in spring (91st percentile) and lowest in fall (46th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.3 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); clover and wildflowers (nearest 0.4 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.4 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Sunny Side?

  • First forage: Jan 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Main flow: Feb 16 to May 31, peaking late Mar (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
  • Fall flow: Jun 16 to Jun 30 (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
  • Season ends: Aug 15
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Sunny Side, 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 Mar 14.

What the honey is made of

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

  • Soybeans: about 11 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi SE, blooms late Apr – early Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
  • Clover and wildflowers: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi SW, blooms early Mar – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
  • Corn: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi SE, blooms late May – early Jun (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 Sunny Side

Mostly: Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest; Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Southern Piedmont Dry Oak Forest.

Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.13 mi S; open water 0.21 mi S.

Things to watch

  • Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. 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 Sunny Side ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US69th92nd33rd9th
Georgia88th91st72nd46th
Piedmont78th82nd52nd50th

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

About 70% 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 Sunny Side: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Hampton 2 mi · Experiment 4 mi · Heron Bay 6 mi · Woolsey 7 mi · Griffin 7 mi · Lovejoy 7 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 Sunny Side (33.3424, -84.2935); 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.