community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Big Arm, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 91% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (96th percentile) and lowest in fall (7th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 3.2 mi S, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Big Arm?
- First forage: Apr 1 (willows, kinnikinnick)
- Main flow: May 16 to Jul 31, peaking early Jul (snowberry, willows)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Big Arm, 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 20.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): willows, snowberry, native wildflowers, serviceberry; dark amber
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, native wildflowers, mallow ninebark, huckleberries
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, fireweed; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, willows, native wildflowers, huckleberries; dark amber
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Alfalfa: about 22 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.4 mi SW, blooms late Jun – late Oct (grown 4 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 Big Arm
Mostly: Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest; Open water; Northern Rocky Mountain Montane-Foothill Deciduous Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.46 mi E; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.51 mi SE.
How Big Arm ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 71st | 50th | 83rd | 57th |
| Montana | 91st | 96th | 88th | 7th |
| Northern Rockies | 57th | 58th | 55th | 50th |
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 Big Arm: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Lindisfarne 3 mi · Elmo 4 mi · Dayton 5 mi · Kings Point 6 mi · Rocky Point 6 mi · Jette 6 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 Big Arm (47.7936, -114.27); 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.