community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Deerfield Colony, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 20% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it ranks highest in summer (41st percentile) and lowest in fall (10th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (right here); peas (nearest 0.5 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); canola (nearest 2.0 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Deerfield Colony?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (alfalfa, peas)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Deerfield Colony, 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): peas, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spotted and diffuse knapweed; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), peas, dandelion; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
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 400 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Peas: about 149 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi NE, blooms late May – 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 Deerfield Colony
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains-Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna; Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.07 mi NE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.07 mi NE.
How Deerfield Colony ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 21st | 18th | 61st | 60th |
| Montana | 20th | 28th | 41st | 10th |
| Northwestern Great Plains | 21st | 12th | 58th | 2nd |
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 Deerfield Colony: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Danvers 3 mi · Spring Creek Colony 8 mi · Brooks 13 mi · Denton 13 mi · King Ranch Colony 14 mi · Hilger 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 Deerfield Colony (47.2571, -109.6769); 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.