city in North Dakota
Honey bee forage in Balfour, North Dakota
Estimated forage here is better than about 94% of sites in North Dakota. Against other North Dakota sites it stands out most in summer (92nd percentile) and lowest in spring (65th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi NE, grown 4 of the last 5 years); canola (nearest 0.1 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Balfour?
- First forage: Apr 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 15, peaking late Jul (canola, soybeans)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (soybeans)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Balfour, 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 22.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): canola, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, canola; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): canola, soybeans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; white, 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
- Soybeans: about 2,092 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi NE, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Canola: about 419 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi NW, blooms late Jun – early Aug (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 Balfour
Mostly: Western Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow-Prairie-Marsh; Soybeans.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.11 mi NE; pond, lake or river 0.38 mi SW.
How Balfour ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 100th | 30th | 100th | 99th |
| North Dakota | 94th | 65th | 92nd | 80th |
| Northern Glaciated Plains | 94th | 61st | 93rd | 81st |
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 Balfour: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Kief 6 mi · Drake 8 mi · Bergen 9 mi · Butte 10 mi · Karlsruhe 10 mi · Anamoose 14 mi
All towns in North Dakota · 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 Balfour (47.9509, -100.5343); 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.