Honey bee forage in Power, Montana

When is the honey flow in Power?

• First forage: Apr 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
• Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Power, 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 19.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Fall honey (September to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red; 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

• Camelina: about 98 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi W, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Chickpeas: about 26 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.3 mi N, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Canola: about 28 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.3 mi SW, blooms early May – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi N, 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 Power

Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Inter-Mountain Basins Mat Saltbush Shrubland; Northern & Central Plains Ruderal & Planted Grassland.

Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.31 mi SW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.33 mi SW.

How Power ranks

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

About 43% 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

Dutton 9 mi · Sun River 13 mi · Vaughn 13 mi · Fairfield 15 mi · Sun Prairie 16 mi · Fort Shaw 16 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 Power (47.7213, -111.7003); 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.