community in North Carolina
Honey bee forage in Hampstead, North Carolina
Estimated forage here is better than about 3% of sites in North Carolina. Against other North Carolina sites it ranks highest in fall (40th percentile) and lowest in summer (2nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 1.6 mi SE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); blueberries (nearest 2.2 mi N).
When is the honey flow in Hampstead?
- First forage: Jan 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Feb 1 to May 15, peaking early Mar (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Aug 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Hampstead, 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 12.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering shrubs, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
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 8 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi S, blooms late Apr – early Jul (grown 3 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 Hampstead
Mostly: Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin and Canebrake Woodland; Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.72 mi NE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Blueberries: insecticides used on about 74% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Hampstead ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 30th | 67th | 9th | 14th |
| North Carolina | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 40th |
| Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain | 5th | 18th | 5th | 32nd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 92% 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 Hampstead: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Porters Neck 5 mi · Bayshore 6 mi · Topsail Beach 6 mi · Murraysville 7 mi · Ogden 7 mi · Northchase 8 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 Hampstead (34.3625, -77.7543); 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.