village in Michigan
Honey bee forage in Maple Rapids, Michigan
Estimated forage here is better than about 73% of sites in Michigan. Spring, summer and fall all rank about the same against other Michigan sites. Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.5 mi SE); soybeans (nearest 0.6 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 1.5 mi NW).
When is the honey flow in Maple Rapids?
- First forage: Mar 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (soybeans, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Maple Rapids, 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 12.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa; 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
- Corn: about 507 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi SE, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 1,156 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.6 mi E, 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 Maple Rapids
Mostly: North-Central Interior Floodplain Forest; North-Central Interior Beech-Maple Forest; Soybeans.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.07 mi N; pond, lake or river 0.08 mi N.
How Maple Rapids ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 81st | 71st | 83rd | 65th |
| Michigan | 73rd | 70th | 71st | 70th |
| Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains | 38th | 78th | 34th | 65th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 55% 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 Rapids: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Perrinton 5 mi · Fowler 8 mi · Hubbardston 8 mi · Eureka 9 mi · Carson City 9 mi · St. Johns 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 Rapids (43.1086, -84.6859); 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.