city in Minnesota
Honey bee forage in Kimball, Minnesota
Estimated forage here is better than about 51% of sites in Minnesota. Against other Minnesota sites it stands out most in fall (66th percentile) and lowest in summer (53rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.3 mi SE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.3 mi SE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); sweet corn (nearest 0.7 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Kimball?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (soybeans, alfalfa)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Kimball, 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 16.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), 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, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); white, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): soybeans, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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
- Corn: about 712 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi E, blooms late Jul – late Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 418 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Sweet corn: about 100 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi NW, blooms late Jul – late Aug (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 Kimball
Mostly: North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland; Corn; Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.25 mi SW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.27 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 Kimball ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 80th | 48th | 86th | 77th |
| Minnesota | 51st | 57th | 53rd | 66th |
| North Central Hardwood Forests | 64th | 45th | 67th | 54th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 38% 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 Kimball: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
South Haven 4 mi · Fairhaven 5 mi · Watkins 5 mi · Kingston 8 mi · Annandale 10 mi · Rockville 11 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 Kimball (45.3143, -94.3008); 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.