community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Rhodes, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 96% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (98th percentile) and lowest in fall (19th). Biggest nearby bee crops: canola (nearest 2.1 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 1.4 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); camelina (nearest 3.1 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Rhodes?
- First forage: Mar 16 (willows)
- Main flow: May 16 to Jul 31, peaking early Jul (snowberry, willows)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Rhodes, 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): willows, kinnikinnick, snowberry, native wildflowers; dark amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, native wildflowers, huckleberries, mallow ninebark; light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, fireweed, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, willows, native wildflowers, huckleberries; 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 72 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.1 mi E, blooms early May – late Jul (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 9 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.6 mi E, blooms early Jul – late Oct (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 Rhodes
Mostly: Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest; Interior Western North American Temperate Ruderal Grassland; Northern Rocky Mountain Montane-Foothill Deciduous Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.09 mi SW; pond, lake or river 0.18 mi S.
How Rhodes ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 78th | 57th | 84th | 68th |
| Montana | 96th | 98th | 92nd | 19th |
| Northern Rockies | 76th | 74th | 70th | 75th |
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 Rhodes: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Batavia 8 mi · Kalispell 8 mi · Evergreen 10 mi · Helena Flats 11 mi · Kila 11 mi · Whitefish 12 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 Rhodes (48.2807, -114.471); 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.