community in New York
Honey bee forage in Williamson, New York
Estimated forage here is better than about 92% of sites in New York. Against other New York sites it stands out most in spring (95th percentile) and lowest in fall (60th). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (nearest 0.9 mi SE); corn (nearest 0.6 mi SE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); dry beans (nearest 0.5 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Williamson?
- First forage: Mar 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: May 1 to May 31, peaking early May (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Jun 16 to Aug 15 (clovers: white, alsike and red, soybeans, alfalfa)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Williamson, 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 10.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), soybeans; 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
- Apples: about 157 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi N, blooms early May – late May
- Corn: about 65 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi SE, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 3 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 Williamson
Mostly: Laurentian-Acadian Northern Hardwoods Forest; Apples; Eastern Cool Temperate Orchard.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.17 mi NW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.27 mi W.
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 Williamson ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 77th | 82nd | 75th | 58th |
| New York | 92nd | 95th | 82nd | 60th |
| Eastern Great Lakes Lowlands | 79th | 94th | 57th | 41st |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 56% 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 Williamson: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Pultneyville 4 mi · Ontario 5 mi · Marion 6 mi · Sodus 6 mi · Walworth 8 mi · Sodus Point 10 mi
All towns in New York · 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 Williamson (43.2234, -77.1844); 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.