community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Warm Spring Creek, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 94% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (95th percentile) and lowest in fall (39th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.4 mi NW); corn (nearest 0.2 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Warm Spring Creek?
- First forage: Mar 16 (willows)
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 15, peaking late Jul (snowberry, willows, native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (snowberry, alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Warm Spring Creek, 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 31.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): willows, native wildflowers, serviceberry, snowberry; dark amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, alfalfa, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, alfalfa, native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, willows, native wildflowers, alfalfa; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few 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 49 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NW, blooms late Jul – early Sep (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi NE, blooms early Aug – early 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 Warm Spring Creek
Mostly: Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest; Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest; Middle Rocky Mountain Montane Douglas-fir Forest and Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.04 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.07 mi NE.
How Warm Spring Creek ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 75th | 46th | 84th | 80th |
| Montana | 94th | 95th | 91st | 39th |
| Middle Rockies | 96th | 97th | 97th | 34th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 31% 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 Warm Spring Creek: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Hilger 6 mi · Brooks 7 mi · Lewistown Heights 12 mi · Lewistown 12 mi · Spring Creek Colony 16 mi · Fords Creek Colony 18 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 Warm Spring Creek (47.1847, -109.2826); 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.