Honey bee forage in Burlington, North Dakota

When is the honey flow in Burlington?

• First forage: Apr 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
• Main flow: May 16 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans, canola)
• Season ends: Oct 15

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Burlington, 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 21.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), canola, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans, canola, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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

• Canola: about 482 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi N, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 163 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi SW, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Sunflower: about 18 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi W, blooms early Jul – early Sep (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 Burlington

Mostly: Northern & Central Plains Ruderal & Planted Grassland; Spring Wheat; Great Plains Wooded Draw and Ravine Woodland.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.04 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.08 mi SW.

How Burlington ranks

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

About 48% 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

Minot 6 mi · Des Lacs 7 mi · Ruthville 9 mi · Foxholm 10 mi · Minot AFB 12 mi · Logan 13 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 Burlington (48.2572, -101.4146); 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.