community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Batavia, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 97% of sites in Montana. Spring, summer and fall all rank about the same against other Montana sites. Biggest nearby bee crops: canola (nearest 2.7 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 1.6 mi NE); camelina (nearest 2.1 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Batavia?
- First forage: Mar 16 (willows, dandelion)
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (snowberry, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Nov 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Batavia, 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 23.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): willows, dandelion, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers, 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
- Canola: about 71 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.7 mi NE, blooms early May – late Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 26 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.6 mi NE, blooms late Jun – late Oct (grown 5 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 Batavia
Mostly: Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest; Interior Western North American Temperate Ruderal Grassland; Northern Rocky Mountain Montane-Foothill Deciduous Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0 mi S; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.28 mi S.
How Batavia ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 82nd | 56th | 85th | 97th |
| Montana | 97th | 98th | 93rd | 89th |
| Northern Rockies | 87th | 71st | 75th | 96th |
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 Batavia: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Kalispell 5 mi · Kila 5 mi · Evergreen 7 mi · Rhodes 8 mi · Forest Hill Village 8 mi · Somers 10 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 Batavia (48.1774, -114.4072); 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.