Honey bee forage in Gibson Flats, Montana

When is the honey flow in Gibson Flats?

• First forage: Apr 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
• Main flow: May 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, canola)
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Gibson Flats, 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 16.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), canola, 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), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), canola; extra light amber, 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

• Canola: about 100 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi S, blooms early May – late Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Peas: about 159 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi SE, blooms late May – early Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 21 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi NW, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
• Chickpeas: about 35 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi S, blooms early Jul – early Aug (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 Gibson Flats

Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Developed, medium intensity; Developed, low intensity (houses and yards).

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.29 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.31 mi W.

How Gibson Flats ranks

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 30% 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.

Nearby

Great Falls 4 mi · Malmstrom AFB 4 mi · Black Eagle 4 mi · Big Stone Colony 5 mi · Sand Coulee 5 mi · Tracy 5 mi

All towns in Montana · National map · How the scoring works

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 Gibson Flats (47.464, -111.2404); 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.