community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Dewey, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 24% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it ranks highest in summer (43rd percentile) and lowest in spring (16th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.0 mi W, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Dewey?
- First forage: Apr 1 (willows)
- Main flow: Jun 1 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (snowberry, native wildflowers, willows)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Dewey, 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 Jun 11.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): willows, native wildflowers, arrowleaf balsamroot, dandelion; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, native wildflowers, huckleberries, willows; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, native wildflowers; light amber
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, native wildflowers, willows, spotted and diffuse knapweed; 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 36 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi W, 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 Dewey
Mostly: Middle Rocky Mountain Montane Douglas-fir Forest and Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe; Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.2 mi SE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.22 mi N.
How Dewey ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 23rd | 11th | 62nd | 72nd |
| Montana | 24th | 16th | 43rd | 26th |
| Middle Rockies | 40th | 58th | 45th | 20th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 55% 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 Dewey: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Wise River 5 mi · Glen 22 mi · Walkerville 24 mi · Rader Creek 26 mi · Maverick Mountain 28 mi · Silver Star 28 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 Dewey (45.7754, -112.8529); 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.