community in Massachusetts
Honey bee forage in Northfield, Massachusetts
Estimated forage here is better than about 7% of sites in Massachusetts. Against other Massachusetts sites it ranks highest in fall (18th percentile) and lowest in spring (8th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 1.4 mi W); pumpkins (nearest 1.7 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 1.8 mi W, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Northfield?
- First forage: Mar 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking late May (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Northfield, 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 May 15.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs, garden flowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs; 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 38 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi NW, blooms late Jul – late Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Pumpkins: about 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi NW, blooms early Jul – late Oct (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 Northfield
Mostly: Laurentian-Acadian Pine-Hemlock-Hardwood Forest; Laurentian-Acadian Pine-Hemlock Forest; Laurentian-Acadian Northern Hardwoods Forest.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.13 mi SW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.28 mi E.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Pumpkins: insecticides used on about 75% of surveyed US acres (2024); Squash: insecticides used on about 71% of surveyed US acres (2024). 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 Northfield ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 21st | 51st | 38th | 27th |
| Massachusetts | 7th | 8th | 10th | 18th |
| Northeastern Highlands | 7th | 19th | 3rd | 58th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 87% 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 Northfield: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Millers Falls 10 mi · Orange 10 mi · Turners Falls 11 mi · Greenfield 11 mi · Athol 13 mi · Deerfield 15 mi
All towns in Massachusetts · 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 Northfield (42.7132, -72.4227); 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.