city in Indiana

Honey bee forage in Boonville, Indiana

Estimated forage here is better than about 30% of sites in Indiana. Against other Indiana sites it stands out most in spring (76th percentile) and lowest in summer (27th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (right here, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (right here, grown 2 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Boonville?

  • First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Main flow: May 16 to Jul 31, peaking late Jun (soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Season ends: Sep 15
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Boonville, 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 11.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, 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, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Whole season (March to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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 1,394 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi SW, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
  • Corn: about 1,120 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi SW, blooms early Jun – early 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 Boonville

Mostly: Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest; Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Northern & Central Native Ruderal Forest.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.18 mi SW.

How Boonville ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US86th77th86th26th
Indiana30th76th27th60th
Interior River Valleys and Hills34th78th29th55th

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

About 37% 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 Boonville: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Chandler 5 mi · Folsomville 9 mi · Newburgh 9 mi · Richland 10 mi · Tennyson 10 mi · Hatfield 11 mi

All towns in Indiana · 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 Boonville (38.0466, -87.291); 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.