town in Montana
Honey bee forage in Lavina, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 80% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (92nd percentile) and lowest in fall (32nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.1 mi W); corn (nearest 0.7 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); camelina (nearest 0.2 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Lavina?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (alfalfa)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Lavina, 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 15.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
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 137 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi W, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 5 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 Lavina
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe; Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Northern & Central Plains Ruderal & Planted Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.12 mi NW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.13 mi NE.
How Lavina ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 59th | 42nd | 77th | 76th |
| Montana | 80th | 92nd | 74th | 32nd |
| Northwestern Great Plains | 81st | 93rd | 82nd | 13th |
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 Lavina: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Broadview 14 mi · Ryegate 15 mi · Golden Valley Colony 16 mi · Mountain View Colony 19 mi · Klein 20 mi · Camp Three 21 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 Lavina (46.295, -108.9388); 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.