village in Illinois
Honey bee forage in Karnak, Illinois
Estimated forage here is better than about 59% of sites in Illinois. Against other Illinois sites it stands out most in spring (100th percentile) and lowest in summer (14th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.4 mi S); corn (nearest 0.5 mi SW, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Karnak?
- First forage: Feb 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: Mar 16 to Jul 31, peaking early Jun (soybeans, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Aug 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Karnak, 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 8.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; 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 3,139 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi S, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 5 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 Karnak
Mostly: South-Central Interior Large Floodplain Forest; Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.08 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.19 mi N.
How Karnak ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 94th | 97th | 85th | 32nd |
| Illinois | 59th | 100th | 14th | 68th |
| Interior River Valleys and Hills | 74th | 100th | 26th | 64th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 60% 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 Karnak: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Belknap 3 mi · New Grand Chain 4 mi · Cypress 5 mi · Joppa 9 mi · Vienna 10 mi · Olmsted 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 Karnak (37.2942, -88.9761); 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.