Honey bee forage in Niobrara, Nebraska

When is the honey flow in Niobrara?

• First forage: Mar 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 15, peaking early May (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 31 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), alfalfa)
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Niobrara, 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 4.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), alfalfa, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; 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

• Corn: about 69 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi S, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 79 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi W, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 13 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi N, blooms early Jun – 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 Niobrara

Mostly: Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland; Northwestern Great Plains Floodplain Herbaceous; Northern & Central Plains Ruderal & Planted Grassland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.15 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.15 mi N.

How Niobrara ranks

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

About 62% 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

Verdel 9 mi · Verdigre 11 mi · Santee 11 mi · Center 13 mi · Lindy 14 mi · Monowi 16 mi

All towns in Nebraska · 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 Niobrara (42.7499, -98.0315); 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.