city in Iowa
Honey bee forage in Lansing, Iowa
Estimated forage here is better than about 0% of sites in Iowa. Against other Iowa sites it stands out most in fall (95th percentile) and lowest in summer (below the 1st). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.5 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 1.5 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 1.2 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Lansing?
- First forage: Mar 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jun 30, peaking early May (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Jul 16 to Aug 15 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Lansing, 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 May 8.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; 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 21 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi SW, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 16 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi SW, blooms late Jun – late Aug (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 Lansing
Mostly: North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland; Open water; Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.02 mi S; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.05 mi SW.
How Lansing ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 56th | 70th | 59th | 64th |
| Iowa | below the 1st | 91st | below the 1st | 95th |
| Driftless Area | 4th | 96th | 1st | 44th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 63% 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 Lansing: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
New Albin 10 mi · Waterville 11 mi · Harpers Ferry 12 mi · Waukon 14 mi · Marquette 22 mi · McGregor 23 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 Lansing (43.3598, -91.2229); 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.