community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Clancy, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 61% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (71st percentile) and lowest in fall (53rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.2 mi N, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Clancy?
- First forage: Mar 16 (willows, dandelion)
- Main flow: May 16 to Sep 15, peaking late Jul (snowberry, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Nov 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Clancy, 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 25.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, willows, arrowleaf balsamroot, dandelion; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers; light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, snowberry, rubber rabbitbrush; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, willows; 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 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.2 mi N, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 3 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 Clancy
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe; Middle Rocky Mountain Montane Douglas-fir Forest and Woodland; Northern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.11 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.18 mi SW.
How Clancy ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 41st | 30th | 67th | 86th |
| Montana | 61st | 71st | 56th | 53rd |
| Middle Rockies | 75th | 89th | 61st | 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 Clancy: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Jefferson City 5 mi · Montana City 6 mi · South Hills 7 mi · Unionville 8 mi · East Helena 10 mi · Helena 10 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 Clancy (46.4493, -112.003); 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.