community in Pennsylvania
Honey bee forage in Gardners, Pennsylvania
Estimated forage here is better than about 89% of sites in Pennsylvania. Against other Pennsylvania sites it stands out most in spring (97th percentile) and lowest in fall (47th). Biggest nearby bee crops: apples (right here); corn (nearest 0.1 mi E); soybeans (nearest 1.0 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Gardners?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Apr 16 to May 15, peaking late Apr (apples, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jul 31 (clovers: white, alsike and red, soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Gardners, 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 29.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, apples, spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion, garden flowers; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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
- Apples: about 945 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi NE, blooms late 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 Gardners
Mostly: Northeastern Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest; Central Appalachian Dry Oak Forest; Eastern Cool Temperate Orchard.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.11 mi NE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.42 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 Gardners ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 78th | 91st | 69th | 50th |
| Pennsylvania | 89th | 97th | 72nd | 47th |
| Blue Ridge | 98th | 71st | 100th | 90th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 59% 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 Gardners: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Idaville 1 mi · Aspers 2 mi · Bendersville 3 mi · York Springs 5 mi · Heidlersburg 5 mi · Biglerville 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 Gardners (40.0064, -77.2082); 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.