community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Wolf Creek, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 67% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (90th percentile) and lowest in fall (25th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.5 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years); mustard (nearest 2.1 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 2.2 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Wolf Creek?
- First forage: Mar 16 (willows, dandelion)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (snowberry, native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Wolf 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 18.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): snowberry, willows, native wildflowers, dandelion; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, alfalfa, native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, native wildflowers, willows, spotted and diffuse knapweed; light 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 162 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, 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 Wolf Creek
Mostly: Northern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe; Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.34 mi SE.
How Wolf Creek ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 47th | 41st | 70th | 72nd |
| Montana | 67th | 90th | 61st | 25th |
| Middle Rockies | 81st | 95th | 71st | 19th |
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 Wolf Creek: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Craig 7 mi · Canyon Creek 16 mi · Hardy 17 mi · Helena Valley Northwest 19 mi · Marysville 21 mi · Helena Valley Northeast 22 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 Wolf Creek (47.0059, -112.0701); 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.