community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Nye, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 82% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (89th percentile) and lowest in summer (73rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.5 mi SE, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Nye?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: May 16 to Sep 15, peaking late Jul (native wildflowers, snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Nov 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Nye, 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 25.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers, alfalfa; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), snowberry, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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
- Alfalfa: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 3 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 Nye
Mostly: Northern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane-Foothill-Valley Grassland; Middle Rocky Mountain Montane Douglas-fir Forest and Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.11 mi SW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.16 mi SW.
How Nye ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 60th | 39th | 77th | 93rd |
| Montana | 82nd | 89th | 73rd | 77th |
| Northwestern Great Plains | 82nd | 88th | 80th | 73rd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 37% 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 Nye: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Fishtail 15 mi · Roscoe 16 mi · Absarokee 18 mi · Luther 22 mi · Greycliff 22 mi · Reed Point 23 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 Nye (45.434, -109.8069); 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.