Honey bee forage in Forest Hills, Michigan

When is the honey flow in Forest Hills?

• First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
• Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
• Fall flow: Aug 1 to Sep 15 (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers)
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Forest Hills, 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 11.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar); 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 42 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi NW, blooms late Jun – early Sep (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 12 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 34 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.2 mi N, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 3 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 Forest Hills

Mostly: North-Central Interior Dry Oak Forest and Woodland; Developed, open space (parks, large lots, lawns); Developed, low intensity (houses and yards).

Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.17 mi E; open water 0.18 mi NE.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 51% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.

How Forest Hills ranks

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

About 46% 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

East Grand Rapids 6 mi · Cannonsburg 7 mi · Kentwood 7 mi · Lowell 7 mi · Northview 8 mi · Grand Rapids 8 mi

All towns in Michigan · 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 Forest Hills (42.9602, -85.4897); 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.