town in North Carolina
Honey bee forage in Bailey, North Carolina
Estimated forage here is better than about 96% of sites in North Carolina. Against other North Carolina sites it stands out most in summer (96th percentile) and lowest in fall (59th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.2 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Bailey?
- First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: May 1 to Jul 15, peaking late May (soybeans)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Bailey, 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 Mar 27.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), cotton, cucumbers; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, 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
- Soybeans: about 170 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi SW, blooms early May – late Jul (grown 4 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 Bailey
Mostly: Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest; Soybeans; Southern Piedmont Small Floodplain and Riparian Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.09 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.22 mi NW.
How Bailey ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 88th | 94th | 80th | 21st |
| North Carolina | 96th | 83rd | 96th | 59th |
| Southeastern Plains | 98th | 91st | 98th | 76th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 43% 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 Bailey: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Sims 3 mi · Middlesex 5 mi · Wilson 11 mi · Lucama 11 mi · Spring Hope 11 mi · Zebulon 12 mi
All towns in North Carolina · 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 Bailey (35.7806, -78.1129); 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.