village in Illinois
Honey bee forage in Noble, Illinois
Estimated forage here is better than about 96% of sites in Illinois. Against other Illinois sites it stands out most in summer (70th percentile) and lowest in fall (46th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi S, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.1 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years); pumpkins (nearest 0.9 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Noble?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jun 1 to Jul 31, peaking late Jun (soybeans)
- Season ends: Aug 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Noble, 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 17.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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
- Soybeans: about 13,360 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi S, blooms early Jun – early Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 5,142 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi N, 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 Noble
Mostly: Corn; Soybeans; North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.02 mi S; open water 0.05 mi SE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Pumpkins: insecticides used on about 75% of surveyed US acres (2024). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Noble ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 98th | 53rd | 97th | 17th |
| Illinois | 96th | 66th | 70th | 46th |
| Interior River Valleys and Hills | 97th | 41st | 88th | 35th |
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 Noble: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Clay City 7 mi · Olney 8 mi · Sailor Springs 9 mi · Calhoun 10 mi · Parkersburg 12 mi · Dundas 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 Noble (38.6981, -88.2188); 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.