city in Kentucky

Honey bee forage in Hardinsburg, Kentucky

Estimated forage here is better than about 87% of sites in Kentucky. Against other Kentucky sites it stands out most in summer (85th percentile) and lowest in fall (34th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (right here, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (right here, grown 2 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Hardinsburg?

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

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Hardinsburg, 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, likely to set over some months
  • Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • 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, 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 252 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi E, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
  • Corn: about 105 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi S, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 1 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 Hardinsburg

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) 0.08 mi E; pond, lake or river 0.09 mi SE.

How Hardinsburg ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US88th88th85th25th
Kentucky87th51st85th34th
Interior Plateau93rd43rd92nd30th

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

About 44% 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 Hardinsburg: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Cloverport 11 mi · Irvington 12 mi · Fordsville 17 mi · Ekron 19 mi · Hawesville 19 mi · Brandenburg 21 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 Hardinsburg (37.7714, -86.4508); 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.