community in New Jersey
Honey bee forage in Mountain Lake, New Jersey
Estimated forage here is better than about 26% of sites in New Jersey. Against other New Jersey sites it ranks highest in summer (36th percentile) and lowest in fall (16th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.8 mi NW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.9 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years); apples (nearest 1.3 mi W).
When is the honey flow in Mountain Lake?
- First forage: Mar 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 15, peaking early May (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 15 (soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Mountain Lake, 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): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; 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
- Corn: about 120 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 43 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi NW, blooms late 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 Mountain Lake
Mostly: Appalachian Northern Hardwood Forest; Northeastern Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest; Northern & Central Native Ruderal Forest.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.06 mi E; open water 0.08 mi E.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Apples: insecticides used on about 77% 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 Mountain Lake ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 46th | 66th | 53rd | 48th |
| New Jersey | 26th | 30th | 36th | 16th |
| Northeastern Highlands | 50th | 61st | 29th | 86th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 77% 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.
The national forage map around Mountain Lake: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Buttzville 2 mi · Bridgeville 3 mi · Oxford 4 mi · Hope 4 mi · Mount Hermon 4 mi · Delaware 5 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 Mountain Lake (40.8598, -74.9876); 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.