village in Illinois
Honey bee forage in Gulfport, Illinois
Estimated forage here is better than about 5% of sites in Illinois. Against other Illinois sites it stands out most in fall (86th percentile) and lowest in summer (11th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.1 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Gulfport?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Jun 1 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (soybeans)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Gulfport, 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); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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 120 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi E, blooms early Jun – late Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 4,068 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi SE, blooms late Jun – late Jul (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 Gulfport
Mostly: Open water; North-Central Interior Floodplain Forest; Soybeans.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.06 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.08 mi S.
How Gulfport ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 73rd | 60th | 81st | 49th |
| Illinois | 5th | 74th | 11th | 86th |
| Interior River Valleys and Hills | 10th | 52nd | 21st | 90th |
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 Gulfport: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Carman 5 mi · Gladstone 8 mi · Lomax 9 mi · Stronghurst 10 mi · Oquawka 11 mi · Biggsville 12 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 Gulfport (40.809, -91.0841); 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.