community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Camp Three, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 7% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (51st percentile) and lowest in summer (12th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 1.5 mi SE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.8 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Camp Three?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers)
- Main flow: May 1 to Sep 15, peaking early Jul (snowberry, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Camp Three, 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): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), snowberry, smooth sumac, dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, alfalfa, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), alfalfa; 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
- Corn: about 31 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi SE, blooms late Jul – early Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 26 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi SE, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 2 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 Camp Three
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains-Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe; Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.07 mi SW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.13 mi S.
How Camp Three ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 18th | 25th | 46th | 68th |
| Montana | 7th | 51st | 12th | 18th |
| Northwestern Great Plains | 8th | 32nd | 18th | 5th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 69% 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 Camp Three: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Roundup 2 mi · Klein 4 mi · Kilby Butte Colony 10 mi · Flat Willow Colony 19 mi · Lavina 21 mi · Musselshell 23 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 Camp Three (46.4533, -108.5741); 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.