city in Kentucky
Honey bee forage in St. Mary, Kentucky
Estimated forage here is better than about 80% of sites in Kentucky. Against other Kentucky sites it stands out most in summer (84th percentile) and lowest in fall (9th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (right here, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.1 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in St. Mary?
- 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
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of St. Mary, 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 10.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, soybeans, dandelion; 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, garden flowers, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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 23 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms late May – late Jul (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 622 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi SE, 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 St. Mary
Mostly: Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest; Corn.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.11 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.13 mi NW.
How St. Mary ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 84th | 80th | 85th | 9th |
| Kentucky | 80th | 19th | 84th | 9th |
| Interior Plateau | 84th | 15th | 91st | 4th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 48% 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 St. Mary: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Raywick 5 mi · Loretto 5 mi · Lebanon 5 mi · New Hope 9 mi · Springfield 11 mi · Bradfordsville 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 St. Mary (37.5796, -85.3504); 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.