community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Landusky, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 65% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in summer (69th percentile) and lowest in fall (20th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.2 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Landusky?
- First forage: Apr 16 (willows, native wildflowers, arrowleaf balsamroot)
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (snowberry, native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Landusky, 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 28.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, willows, serviceberry, chokecherry and bitter cherry; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, mallow ninebark; light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), fireweed; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, serviceberry; amber
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 39 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi SW, blooms late 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 Landusky
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains-Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna; Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.06 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.06 mi S.
How Landusky ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 45th | 26th | 75th | 69th |
| Montana | 65th | 55th | 69th | 20th |
| Middle Rockies | 79th | 85th | 84th | 15th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 51% 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 Landusky: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Zortman 5 mi · Hays 8 mi · Lodge Pole 9 mi · Fort Belknap Agency 37 mi · Dodson 38 mi · Roy 42 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 Landusky (47.8983, -108.6197); 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.