community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Gardiner, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 25% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in fall (63rd percentile) and lowest in summer (26th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.5 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Gardiner?
- First forage: Apr 16 (arrowleaf balsamroot, native wildflowers, dandelion)
- Main flow: May 16 to Sep 15, peaking early Aug (native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 15 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, rubber rabbitbrush)
- Season ends: Nov 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Gardiner, 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 24.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, arrowleaf balsamroot, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, green/yellow rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, native wildflowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, arrowleaf balsamroot; 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 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.7 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep (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 Gardiner
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe; Middle Rocky Mountain Montane Douglas-fir Forest and Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.44 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.45 mi S.
How Gardiner ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 23rd | 20th | 54th | 89th |
| Montana | 25th | 30th | 26th | 63rd |
| Middle Rockies | 41st | 75th | 26th | 59th |
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 Gardiner: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Jardine 6 mi · Corwin Springs 6 mi · South Glastonbury 18 mi · Emigrant 23 mi · Pray 26 mi · Hebgen Lake Estates 30 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 Gardiner (45.0525, -110.7378); 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.