city in Kentucky

Honey bee forage in Fairfield, Kentucky

Estimated forage here is better than about 87% of sites in Kentucky. Against other Kentucky sites it stands out most in summer (86th percentile) and lowest in fall (15th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi S, grown 4 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.3 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.2 mi W, grown 3 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Fairfield?

  • First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Main flow: May 16 to Jul 31, peaking early Jun (soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Season ends: Aug 31
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Fairfield, 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): clovers: white, alsike and red, soybeans, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion, garden flowers; light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Whole season (March to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra 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 267 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi E, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
  • Corn: about 91 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi NW, blooms early Jun – early Jul (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 Fairfield

Mostly: Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest; South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.05 mi SW; open water 0.08 mi W.

How Fairfield ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US88th84th86th14th
Kentucky87th30th86th15th
Interior Plateau93rd25th93rd9th

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

About 51% 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 Fairfield: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Bloomfield 4 mi · Taylorsville 7 mi · Bardstown 9 mi · Chaplin 9 mi · Mount Washington 12 mi · Elk Creek 13 mi

All towns in Kentucky · 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 Fairfield (37.9312, -85.3861); 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.