Honey bee forage in Culbertson, Montana

When is the honey flow in Culbertson?

• First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Main flow: Apr 16 to Sep 15, peaking late May (clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Culbertson, 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 17.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, dandelion; 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

• Millet: about 80 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi SE, blooms late Jul – late Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Canola: about 18 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi SE, blooms early Jun – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 136 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi S, blooms late Jun – early Sep (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Lentils: about 49 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi NE, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 76 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi SW, blooms late Jul – late 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 Culbertson

Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Northwestern Great Plains Floodplain Herbaceous; Open water.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.18 mi SE; pond, lake or river 0.19 mi SE.

How Culbertson ranks

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

About 46% 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

Froid 13 mi · Bainville 14 mi · Brockton 18 mi · Homestead 19 mi · Medicine Lake 25 mi · Fairview 30 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 Culbertson (48.1452, -104.5158); 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.