community in Louisiana
Honey bee forage in Sorrel, Louisiana
Estimated forage here is better than about 28% of sites in Louisiana. Against other Louisiana sites it ranks highest in summer (31st percentile) and lowest in fall (15th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 1.1 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Sorrel?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 30, peaking late Feb (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: May 16 to Jun 15 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Sorrel, 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 Feb 18.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; 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 17 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.7 mi NW, blooms early Apr – early Jun (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 Sorrel
Mostly: Mississippi River Bottomland Depression; Sugarcane; Fallow / idle cropland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.09 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.31 mi NW.
Things to watch
- Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 48% of the land within 3 miles is in crops bees get little from (such as wheat and other grains).
How Sorrel ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 36th | 59th | 10th | 7th |
| Louisiana | 28th | 22nd | 31st | 15th |
| Mississippi Alluvial Plain | 6th | 16th | 11th | 39th |
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 Sorrel: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Jeanerette 4 mi · Baldwin 5 mi · Charenton 5 mi · Glencoe 6 mi · Lydia 10 mi · Franklin 10 mi
All towns in Louisiana · 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 Sorrel (29.8884, -91.6266); 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.