community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Danvers, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 27% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it ranks highest in spring (46th percentile) and lowest in fall (16th). Biggest nearby bee crops: lentils (right here, grown 1 of the last 5 years); canola (nearest 1.1 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.1 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Danvers?
- First forage: Apr 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), lentils)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Danvers, 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 18.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), lentils, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), lentils, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spotted and diffuse knapweed, alfalfa; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), lentils, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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
- Lentils: about 61 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi E, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Canola: about 11 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi SE, blooms early May – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 25 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi W, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 4 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 Danvers
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe; Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Northwestern Great Plains-Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.3 mi NW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.32 mi NW.
How Danvers ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 23rd | 24th | 61st | 66th |
| Montana | 27th | 46th | 39th | 16th |
| Northwestern Great Plains | 28th | 28th | 57th | 4th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 32% 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 Danvers: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Deerfield Colony 3 mi · Spring Creek Colony 7 mi · King Ranch Colony 12 mi · Denton 13 mi · Brooks 14 mi · Moccasin 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 Danvers (47.2283, -109.7131); 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.