city in Maine
Honey bee forage in Calais, Maine
Estimated forage here is better than about 12% of sites in Maine. Against other Maine sites it ranks highest in fall (45th percentile) and lowest in summer (11th). Biggest nearby bee crops: blueberries (nearest 3.4 mi SE).
When is the honey flow in Calais?
- First forage: Mar 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking late May (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Calais, 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 26.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers; amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), native wildflowers; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): summer-flowering shrubs, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Blueberries: about 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.4 mi SE, blooms early May – early Jun
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 Calais
Mostly: Acadian Low-Elevation Spruce-Fir Forest; Acadian Low-Elevation Spruce-Fir-Hardwood Forest; Unmapped.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.04 mi S; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.41 mi S.
How Calais ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 18th | 43rd | 40th | 23rd |
| Maine | 12th | 22nd | 11th | 45th |
| Acadian Plains and Hills | 14th | 20th | 15th | 37th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 92% 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 Calais: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Woodland 9 mi · Eastport 19 mi · Lubec 23 mi · Vanceboro 31 mi · Machias 33 mi · Jonesport 46 mi
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 Calais (45.143, -67.2175); 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.