Honey bee forage in St. James, North Carolina

When is the honey flow in St. James?

• First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
• Main flow: Feb 1 to Apr 30, peaking early Mar (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Fall flow: May 16 to May 31 (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of St. James, 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 11.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months

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 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.3 mi NW, blooms late Apr – late Jun (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Sunflower: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi N, blooms early May – late Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.6 mi NW, blooms early May – early Jun (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 St. James

Mostly: Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin and Canebrake Woodland; Open water; Atlantic Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland.

Nearest mapped water: open water 0.09 mi SE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.26 mi N.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 70% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.

How St. James ranks

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.

Nearby

Oak Island 2 mi · Caswell Beach 4 mi · Southport 5 mi · Boiling Spring Lakes 7 mi · Varnamtown 8 mi · Bald Head Island 9 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 St. James (33.9444, -78.1003); 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.