community in Montana
Honey bee forage in East End Colony, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 100% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in summer (100th percentile) and lowest in fall (below the 1st). Biggest nearby bee crops: mustard (nearest 0.2 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); peas (nearest 0.2 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); lentils (nearest 0.2 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in East End Colony?
- First forage: May 16 (peas, mustard)
- Main flow: Jun 16 to Jul 15, peaking late Jun (mustard)
- Season ends: Jul 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of East End 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 20.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): mustard, peas; white
- Summer honey (July and August): mustard, lentils; white
- Fall honey (September to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clover/Wildflowers, dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): mustard, peas, lentils, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); white, likely to set over some months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Mustard: about 2,140 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi NE, blooms early Jun – late Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Peas: about 1,052 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi NE, blooms late May – early Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Lentils: about 795 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi N, blooms late Jun – late 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 East End Colony
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe; Spring Wheat.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi N; open water 0.04 mi N.
Things to watch
- Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 41% of the land within 3 miles is in crops bees get little from (such as wheat and other grains).
How East End Colony ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 99th | 12th | 100th | 26th |
| Montana | 100th | 16th | 100th | below the 1st |
| Northwestern Glaciated Plains | 96th | 15th | 97th | 1st |
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 East End Colony: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Hilldale Colony 11 mi · Havre North 14 mi · Hartland Colony 15 mi · Havre 16 mi · Saddle Butte 16 mi · West Havre 16 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 East End Colony (48.7519, -109.5466); 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.