community in New Jersey
Honey bee forage in Nesco, New Jersey
Estimated forage here is better than about 48% of sites in New Jersey. Against other New Jersey sites it stands out most in spring (97th percentile) and lowest in summer (1st). Biggest nearby bee crops: blueberries (nearest 0.3 mi N); corn (nearest 1.4 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Nesco?
- First forage: Feb 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Apr 16 to May 15, peaking late Apr (blueberries, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Season ends: Aug 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Nesco, 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 23.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): blueberries, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): blueberries, summer-flowering shrubs, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); 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
- Blueberries: about 495 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi N, 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 Nesco
Mostly: Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Pitch Pine Barrens; Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Peat Swamp; Blueberries.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.02 mi W; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.26 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 Nesco ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 64th | 95th | 29th | 34th |
| New Jersey | 48th | 97th | 1st | 4th |
| Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens | 48th | 98th | 2nd | 4th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 68% 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 Nesco: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Sweetwater 3 mi · Hammonton 4 mi · Elwood 5 mi · Egg Harbor City 7 mi · Folsom 9 mi · Germania 10 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 Nesco (39.6426, -74.6896); 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.