city in Montana
Honey bee forage in Big Timber, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 92% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (99th percentile) and lowest in fall (43rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi N, grown 4 of the last 5 years); clover and wildflowers (nearest 1.5 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Big Timber?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 31, peaking late May (clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Big Timber, 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): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, 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
- Alfalfa: about 284 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi N, blooms early Jul – late Aug (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 Timber
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe; Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Northern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane-Foothill-Valley Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.08 mi NE; open water 0.32 mi SE.
How Big Timber ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 72nd | 63rd | 76th | 81st |
| Montana | 92nd | 99th | 72nd | 43rd |
| Northwestern Great Plains | 90th | 100th | 80th | 22nd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 33% 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 Big Timber: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Greycliff 10 mi · Springdale 15 mi · Reed Point 21 mi · Nye 29 mi · Livingston 32 mi · Clyde Park 32 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 Timber (45.8348, -109.9483); 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.