city in Minnesota
Honey bee forage in Bird Island, Minnesota
Estimated forage here is better than about 77% of sites in Minnesota. Against other Minnesota sites it stands out most in summer (75th percentile) and lowest in spring (44th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.3 mi SE, grown 4 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.3 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); dry beans (nearest 1.1 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Bird Island?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (soybeans)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Bird Island, 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 14.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, soybeans, garden flowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans
- Fall honey (September to November): soybeans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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 8,851 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi SE, blooms late Jul – early Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 2,702 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi SE, blooms late Jun – early Sep (grown 1 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 Bird Island
Mostly: Corn; Soybeans; Sugarbeets.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.32 mi SE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.43 mi S.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Sweet Corn: insecticides used on about 44% of surveyed US acres (2024). 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 Bird Island ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 90th | 38th | 93rd | 69th |
| Minnesota | 77th | 44th | 75th | 53rd |
| Western Corn Belt Plains | 35th | 73rd | 28th | 92nd |
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 Bird Island: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Olivia 5 mi · Hector 9 mi · Danube 10 mi · Lake Lillian 13 mi · Buffalo Lake 14 mi · Blomkest 14 mi
All towns in Minnesota · 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 Bird Island (44.765, -94.8942); 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.