Honey bee forage in Center, North Dakota

When is the honey flow in Center?

• First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Apr 16 to Sep 15, peaking late Jul (clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
• Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 15 (buckwheat, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Center, 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 20.

What the honey is made of

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

• Alfalfa: about 43 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
• Buckwheat: about 21 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Oct (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 45 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Sunflower: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi SE, 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 Center

Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Northwestern Great Plains Riparian Herbaceous; Western Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.19 mi SW; pond, lake or river 0.2 mi SW.

How Center ranks

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

About 44% 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

Stanton 15 mi · Washburn 18 mi · Harmon 20 mi · New Salem 20 mi · Hazen 20 mi · Wilton 24 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 Center (47.1149, -101.2977); 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.