community in Montana

Honey bee forage in Stryker, Montana

Estimated forage here is better than about 96% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (99th percentile) and lowest in fall (15th). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, less than 0.1 mi away.

When is the honey flow in Stryker?

  • First forage: Mar 16 (willows)
  • Main flow: May 1 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (snowberry, willows)
  • Season ends: Sep 30
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Stryker, 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 28.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): willows, native wildflowers, kinnikinnick, dandelion; dark amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, huckleberries, native wildflowers, mallow ninebark; light amber
  • Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, fireweed, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Whole season (March to November): snowberry, willows, native wildflowers, huckleberries; dark 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

No rated bee crops within about 3.7 miles of the town center. The forage here is wild plants, trees and gardens.

The land and water around Stryker

Mostly: Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest; Northern Rocky Mountain Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest; Rocky Mountain Subalpine Mesic-Wet Spruce-Fir Forest and Woodland.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.04 mi S; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.16 mi SE.

How Stryker ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US79th62nd85th64th
Montana96th99th93rd15th
Northern Rockies81st83rd72nd69th

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 Stryker: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Trego 7 mi · Fortine 9 mi · Olney 12 mi · Eureka 19 mi · Polebridge 23 mi · Indian Springs 23 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 Stryker (48.6729, -114.7678); 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.