town in South Carolina
Honey bee forage in Gifford, South Carolina
Estimated forage here is better than about 51% of sites in South Carolina. Against other South Carolina sites it stands out most in summer (69th percentile) and lowest in spring (26th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.1 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 0.1 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.4 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Gifford?
- First forage: Jan 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Feb 1 to Jun 30, peaking early Mar (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), cotton)
- Fall flow: Jul 16 to Jul 31 (cotton)
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Gifford, 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 2.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs; 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
- Corn: about 60 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi SE, blooms early May – early Jun (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 44 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi S, blooms early Jun – 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 Gifford
Mostly: Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; Southeastern Ruderal Grassland; Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin and Canebrake Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.08 mi NW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.12 mi N.
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 Gifford ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 58th | 74th | 33rd | 12th |
| South Carolina | 51st | 26th | 69th | 43rd |
| Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain | 29th | 33rd | 37th | 28th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 67% 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 Gifford: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Luray 3 mi · Brunson 5 mi · Fairfax 7 mi · Hampton 8 mi · Estill 8 mi · Varnville 9 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 Gifford (32.86, -81.2385); 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.