town in Montana
Honey bee forage in Saco, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 31% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (88th percentile) and lowest in fall (13th). Biggest nearby bee crops: peas (nearest 1.2 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.4 mi NW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); chickpeas (nearest 1.8 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Saco?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 31, peaking late May (clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (clovers: white, alsike and red, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Saco, 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 16.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), peas; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Peas: about 491 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi NE, blooms late May – early Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 37 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi S, 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 Saco
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Other Hay/Non Alfalfa; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.29 mi NE; open water 0.32 mi S.
Things to watch
- Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 44% of the land within 3 miles is in crops bees get little from (such as wheat and other grains).
How Saco ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 25th | 37th | 55th | 63rd |
| Montana | 31st | 88th | 28th | 13th |
| Northwestern Glaciated Plains | 12th | 81st | 11th | 18th |
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 Saco: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Sleeping Buffalo 9 mi · Hinsdale 12 mi · East Malta Colony 14 mi · Whitewater 25 mi · Malta 25 mi · Loring Colony 37 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 Saco (48.4571, -107.3413); 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.