community in South Carolina

Honey bee forage in Daviston, South Carolina

Estimated forage here is better than about 84% of sites in South Carolina. Against other South Carolina sites it stands out most in fall (89th percentile) and lowest in summer (62nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.6 mi E, grown 4 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi S, grown 3 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 1.4 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Daviston?

  • First forage: Jan 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
  • Main flow: Feb 1 to May 31, peaking early Mar (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs)
  • Fall flow: Jun 16 to Jun 30 (soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs)
  • Season ends: Sep 30
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Daviston, 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 Mar 9.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering shrubs, soybeans; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
  • Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering shrubs, soybeans; 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 415 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi E, blooms early May – early Jun (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
  • Soybeans: about 10 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi S, blooms late Apr – late Jun (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 Daviston

Mostly: Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest; Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.04 mi NE; pond, lake or river 0.51 mi E.

Things to watch

  • Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% 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 Daviston ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US78th94th30th40th
South Carolina84th85th62nd89th
Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain65th90th33rd83rd

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

About 76% 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 Daviston: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Johnsonville 6 mi · Centenary 10 mi · Hemingway 10 mi · Aynor 12 mi · Stuckey 13 mi · Pamplico 14 mi

All towns in South Carolina · 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 Daviston (33.8862, -79.3718); 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.