village in Illinois

Honey bee forage in Bardolph, Illinois

Estimated forage here is better than about 77% of sites in Illinois. Against other Illinois sites it stands out most in summer (66th percentile) and lowest in spring and fall (55th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.1 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.9 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Bardolph?

  • First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Main flow: Jun 16 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (soybeans)
  • Season ends: Aug 31
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Bardolph, 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 27.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Summer honey (July and August): soybeans
  • Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Whole season (March to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, 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

  • Soybeans: about 13,998 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi E, blooms early Jun – late Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
  • Corn: about 15,227 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi E, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 2 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 Bardolph

Mostly: Soybeans; Corn; North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.48 mi NE; open water 0.56 mi SW.

How Bardolph ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US96th43rd97th23rd
Illinois77th55th66th55th
Interior River Valleys and Hills88th29th84th47th

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

The national forage map around Bardolph: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Bushnell 5 mi · Adair 6 mi · Macomb 7 mi · Good Hope 7 mi · Marietta 9 mi · Prairie City 10 mi

All towns in Illinois · 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 Bardolph (40.4959, -90.5631); 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.