city in Iowa

Honey bee forage in Grant, Iowa

Estimated forage here is better than about 51% of sites in Iowa. Against other Iowa sites it stands out most in spring (76th percentile) and lowest in summer (36th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.2 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.2 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Grant?

  • First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
  • Main flow: Jun 16 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (soybeans)
  • Season ends: Sep 15
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Grant, 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 Apr 30.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Summer honey (July and August): soybeans
  • Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Whole season (March to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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 2,562 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi E, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
  • Corn: about 1,199 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 3 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 Grant

Mostly: Corn; Soybeans; Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.08 mi NE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.24 mi S.

How Grant ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US91st53rd93rd39th
Iowa51st76th36th59th
Western Corn Belt Plains44th85th27th54th

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

About 31% 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 Grant: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Elliott 9 mi · Griswold 10 mi · Carbon 11 mi · Cumberland 11 mi · Lewis 12 mi · Stanton 13 mi

All towns in Iowa · 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 Grant (41.1433, -94.9842); 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.