town in Louisiana
Honey bee forage in St. Joseph, Louisiana
Estimated forage here is better than about 92% of sites in Louisiana. Against other Louisiana sites it stands out most in summer (93rd percentile) and lowest in fall (35th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.3 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.3 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 0.3 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in St. Joseph?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jun 15, peaking early May (soybeans)
- Season ends: Aug 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of St. Joseph, 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 28.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, cotton; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; 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 2,817 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi NE, blooms late Apr – late Jun (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 631 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi SW, blooms early May – early Jun (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 961 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi NE, blooms early Jun – early Aug (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 St. Joseph
Mostly: Open water; Mississippi River High Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest; Mississippi River Low Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.31 mi NE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.32 mi NE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How St. Joseph ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 88th | 98th | 57th | 18th |
| Louisiana | 92nd | 92nd | 93rd | 35th |
| Mississippi Alluvial Plain | 47th | 80th | 36th | 61st |
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 St. Joseph: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Newellton 11 mi · Waterproof 12 mi · Spokane 20 mi · Clayton 22 mi · Wisner 25 mi · Sicily Island 25 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 St. Joseph (31.9203, -91.24); 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.