Honey bee forage in Barrelville, Maryland

When is the honey flow in Barrelville?

• First forage: Feb 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
• Main flow: Apr 1 to Jun 15, peaking early May (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Fall flow: Jul 1 to Jul 15 (summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Barrelville, 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 29.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Whole season (March to November): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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

• Alfalfa: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi W, blooms early Jun – late Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.7 mi NE, blooms early Jun – late Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Sunflower: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.6 mi SE, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.4 mi N, blooms early Jul – late 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 Barrelville

Mostly: Northeastern Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest; Northern & Central Native Ruderal Forest; Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi N; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.28 mi N.

How Barrelville ranks

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

About 89% 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

Mount Savage 2 mi · La Vale 2 mi · Corriganville 2 mi · Ellerslie 4 mi · Zihlman 4 mi · Eckhart Mines 4 mi

All towns in Maryland · 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 Barrelville (39.7027, -78.8425); 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.