city in Montana
Honey bee forage in Cut Bank, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 82% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (93rd percentile) and lowest in summer (67th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi N, grown 3 of the last 5 years); mustard (nearest 2.4 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years); peas (nearest 2.5 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Cut Bank?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: May 1 to Sep 15, peaking early Jun (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, alfalfa)
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 15 (alfalfa, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Cut Bank, 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 27.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), garden flowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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
- Alfalfa: about 71 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi W, blooms early Jul – late Oct (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Mustard: about 27 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.4 mi N, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Peas: about 99 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.5 mi E, blooms early Jun – early 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 Cut Bank
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Inter-Mountain Basins Mat Saltbush Shrubland; Developed, low intensity (houses and yards).
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.5 mi W; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.52 mi W.
How Cut Bank ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 61st | 43rd | 74th | 97th |
| Montana | 82nd | 93rd | 67th | 90th |
| Northwestern Glaciated Plains | 51st | 89th | 41st | 87th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 43% 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 Cut Bank: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Little Browning 1 mi · Santa Rita 4 mi · Horizon Colony 7 mi · Hidden Lake Colony 13 mi · Seville Colony 13 mi · Glacier Colony 15 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 Cut Bank (48.6341, -112.3301); 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.