town in North Carolina

Honey bee forage in Windsor, North Carolina

Estimated forage here is better than about 76% of sites in North Carolina. Against other North Carolina sites it stands out most in spring (81st percentile) and lowest in summer (64th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.3 mi SW, grown 2 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 0.6 mi SW, grown 2 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Windsor?

  • First forage: Jan 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
  • Main flow: Feb 16 to Jul 15, peaking late Mar (soybeans, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Season ends: Sep 30
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Windsor, 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 25.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Summer honey (July and August): cotton, soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
  • Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, cotton; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
  • Whole season (March to November): soybeans, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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 51 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi SW, blooms early May – early Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
  • Cotton: about 267 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi NW, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 2 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 Windsor

Mostly: Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest; Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest.

Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0 mi S; open water 0 mi S.

Things to watch

  • Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% 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 Windsor ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US79th94th55th28th
North Carolina76th81st64th68th
Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain68th89th56th66th

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 63% 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 Windsor: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Askewville 8 mi · Williamston 12 mi · Jamesville 13 mi · Plymouth 14 mi · Hamilton 15 mi · Lewiston Woodville 16 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 Windsor (35.993, -76.9399); 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.