community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Basin, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 16% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it ranks highest in summer (41st percentile) and lowest in fall (14th). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), less than 0.1 mi away.
When is the honey flow in Basin?
- First forage: Apr 1 (willows)
- Main flow: Jun 1 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (snowberry, willows, native wildflowers)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Basin, 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 Jun 13.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): willows, native wildflowers, huckleberries, arrowleaf balsamroot; dark amber
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, native wildflowers, huckleberries, willows; dark amber
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, fireweed, native wildflowers; extra light amber
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, willows, native wildflowers, huckleberries; amber
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
No rated bee crops within about 3.7 miles of the town center. The forage here is wild plants, trees and gardens.
The land and water around Basin
Mostly: Middle Rocky Mountain Montane Douglas-fir Forest and Woodland; Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest; Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.09 mi SE; open water 0.44 mi NE.
How Basin ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 20th | 10th | 61st | 64th |
| Montana | 16th | 15th | 41st | 14th |
| Middle Rockies | 32nd | 56th | 43rd | 9th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 66% 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 Basin: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Boulder 9 mi · Jefferson City 14 mi · Rimini 15 mi · Elkhorn 16 mi · Clancy 18 mi · Unionville 21 mi
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 Basin (46.2835, -112.2871); 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.