village in Michigan
Honey bee forage in Kent City, Michigan
Estimated forage here is better than about 80% of sites in Michigan. Spring, summer and fall all rank about the same against other Michigan sites. Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 0.1 mi W); soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.1 mi N, grown 4 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Kent City?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: May 1 to May 31, peaking early May (apples, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Fall flow: Jun 16 to Aug 31 (soybeans, alfalfa)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Kent City, 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 13.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): apples, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, alfalfa, apples, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Apples: about 1,497 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi N, blooms early May – late May
- Soybeans: about 316 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi NE, blooms late Jun – early Sep (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 362 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi N, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 4 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 Kent City
Mostly: Apples; North-Central Interior Dry Oak Forest and Woodland; Northern & Central Native Ruderal Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.24 mi W; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.35 mi SW.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 77% of surveyed US acres (2025). 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 Kent City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 84th | 72nd | 85th | 65th |
| Michigan | 80th | 73rd | 75th | 71st |
| Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains | 54th | 81st | 41st | 66th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Kent City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Casnovia 2 mi · Sparta 5 mi · Grant 8 mi · Ravenna 10 mi · Cedar Springs 10 mi · Rockford 12 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 Kent City (43.2264, -85.7555); 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.