village in Illinois
Honey bee forage in Coleta, Illinois
Estimated forage here is better than about 35% of sites in Illinois. Against other Illinois sites it ranks highest in summer (49th percentile) and lowest in spring (32nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (right here); soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.2 mi S).
When is the honey flow in Coleta?
- First forage: May 1 (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 15, peaking late Jul (soybeans)
- Season ends: Aug 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Coleta, 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 6.
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); 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, dandelion, garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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 18,691 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 3,082 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi SE, blooms late Jun – late Aug (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 Coleta
Mostly: Corn; Soybeans.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.21 mi NE; pond, lake or river 1.11 mi N.
How Coleta ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 89th | 20th | 94th | 15th |
| Illinois | 35th | 32nd | 49th | 40th |
| Central Corn Belt Plains | 27th | 55th | 32nd | 52nd |
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 Coleta: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Milledgeville 4 mi · Galt 8 mi · Sterling 9 mi · Chadwick 9 mi · Como 10 mi · Rock Falls 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 Coleta (41.902, -89.7998); 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.