Honey bee forage in Sun, Louisiana

When is the honey flow in Sun?

• First forage: Jan 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 15, peaking late Feb (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Fall flow: May 1 to May 15 (summer-flowering shrubs, 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 Sun, 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 22.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); 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

• Corn: about 11 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.9 mi NE, blooms late Apr – late May (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi NW, blooms early Apr – early Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Sorghum: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.6 mi NW, blooms late Apr – late May (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 Sun

Mostly: East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest; Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.02 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.08 mi N.

How Sun ranks

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

About 86% 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.

Nearby

Rio 3 mi · Bogalusa 9 mi · Abita Springs 14 mi · Covington 17 mi · Folsom 17 mi · Varnado 17 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 Sun (30.6525, -89.9105); 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.