community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Brooks, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 87% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in summer (91st percentile) and lowest in spring (20th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (right here, grown 3 of the last 5 years); millet (nearest 0.4 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (right here, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Brooks?
- First forage: Apr 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers)
- Main flow: Jul 1 to Sep 15, peaking late Jul (alfalfa)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Brooks, 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 24.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
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 5,746 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Millet: about 17 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NW, blooms late Jul – late Sep (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi E, blooms late Jul – late Sep (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 Brooks
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Alfalfa; Northwestern Great Plains Riparian Herbaceous.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.25 mi S; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.34 mi NW.
How Brooks ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 67th | 14th | 84th | 96th |
| Montana | 87th | 20th | 91st | 87th |
| Northwestern Great Plains | 87th | 5th | 90th | 89th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 31% 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 Brooks: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Hilger 5 mi · Warm Spring Creek 7 mi · Lewistown Heights 9 mi · Spring Creek Colony 10 mi · Lewistown 11 mi · Deerfield Colony 13 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 Brooks (47.2053, -109.4211); 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.