community in Michigan
Honey bee forage in Maple City, Michigan
Estimated forage here is better than about 64% of sites in Michigan. Against other Michigan sites it stands out most in spring (97th percentile) and lowest in summer (43rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: cherries (nearest 0.3 mi N); clover and wildflowers (nearest 0.4 mi NW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.4 mi W, grown 4 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Maple City?
- First forage: Mar 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: May 1 to Jun 15, peaking early May (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), cherries, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Fall flow: Jul 1 to Jul 15 (summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Maple 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 19.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), cherries; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), alfalfa; extra 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
- Cherries: about 98 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi E, blooms late Apr – late May
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 Maple City
Mostly: Laurentian-Acadian Northern Hardwoods Forest; Laurentian-Acadian Alkaline Conifer-Hardwood Swamp; Cherries.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.21 mi N; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.4 mi NE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 84% of surveyed US acres (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% 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 Maple City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 77th | 88th | 70th | 59th |
| Michigan | 64th | 97th | 43rd | 59th |
| North Central Hardwood Forests | 54th | 98th | 18th | 16th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 72% 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 Maple City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Cedar 3 mi · Glen Arbor 7 mi · Lake Ann 9 mi · Hardwood Acres 10 mi · Greilickville 10 mi · Maple Grove 10 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 Maple City (44.8556, -85.8573); 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.