borough in Pennsylvania

Honey bee forage in Biglerville, Pennsylvania

Estimated forage here is better than about 85% of sites in Pennsylvania. Against other Pennsylvania sites it stands out most in summer (89th percentile) and lowest in fall (47th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.3 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.3 mi SW, grown 2 of the last 5 years); apples (nearest 0.8 mi NW).

When is the honey flow in Biglerville?

  • First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 15, peaking late Jun (soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
  • Season ends: Sep 30
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Biglerville, 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 27.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Whole season (March to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra 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

  • Soybeans: about 43 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi E, blooms early Jun – late Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
  • Corn: about 63 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi E, blooms late Jun – late Jul (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 Biglerville

Mostly: Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Northeastern Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest; Northern & Central Native Ruderal Forest.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.2 mi N.

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 Biglerville ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US75th69th79th50th
Pennsylvania85th76th89th47th
Northern Piedmont48th26th75th44th

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

About 38% 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 Biglerville: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Table Rock 2 mi · Arendtsville 3 mi · Aspers 4 mi · Bendersville 4 mi · Heidlersburg 5 mi · Gardners 6 mi

All towns in Pennsylvania · 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 Biglerville (39.9295, -77.2468); 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.