Honey bee forage in Cumberland-Hesstown, New Jersey

When is the honey flow in Cumberland-Hesstown?

• First forage: Feb 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
• Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking late Apr (summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
• Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 15 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), summer-flowering shrubs, soybeans)
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Cumberland-Hesstown, 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 Apr 22.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering shrubs, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
• Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), summer-flowering shrubs, soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
• Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time

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 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi W, blooms early Jun – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Blueberries: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.5 mi NE, blooms early Apr – early May

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 Cumberland-Hesstown

Mostly: Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Pitch Pine Barrens; Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Hardwood Forest; Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.07 mi N; pond, lake or river 0.11 mi N.

Things to watch

• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Blueberries: insecticides used on about 74% 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 Cumberland-Hesstown ranks

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

About 92% 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

Port Elizabeth 5 mi · Dorothy 5 mi · Milmay 6 mi · Laurel Lake 7 mi · Mauricetown 7 mi · Dorchester 7 mi

All towns in New Jersey · 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 Cumberland-Hesstown (39.3622, -74.9145); 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.