Honey bee forage in Centerville, Montana

When is the honey flow in Centerville?

• First forage: Apr 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers, dandelion)
• Main flow: May 1 to Sep 15, peaking early Jul (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
• Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 15 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Centerville, 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 19.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers, peas, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, rabbitbrush; amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), alfalfa, native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months

Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.

Bee crops within flight range

• Peas: about 56 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi W, blooms late May – early Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 101 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Canola: about 124 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.3 mi E, blooms early May – late Jul (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 Centerville

Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Northwestern Great Plains Shrubland; Winter Wheat.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.08 mi NE.

How Centerville ranks

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 63% 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.

Nearby

Sand Coulee 2 mi · Tracy 2 mi · Stockett 2 mi · Big Stone Colony 3 mi · Pleasant Valley Colony 6 mi · Gibson Flats 7 mi

All towns in Montana · National map · How the scoring works

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 Centerville (47.3845, -111.1432); 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.