town in South Carolina
Honey bee forage in Lamar, South Carolina
Estimated forage here is better than about 100% of sites in South Carolina. Against other South Carolina sites it stands out most in spring and summer (99th percentile) and lowest in fall (62nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.3 mi S, grown 4 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.3 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 0.6 mi E, grown 4 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Lamar?
- First forage: Jan 16 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jun 30, peaking late May (soybeans)
- Season ends: Aug 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Lamar, 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 12.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, soybeans, garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; 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
- Soybeans: about 315 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi SE, blooms late Apr – early Jul (grown 4 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 Lamar
Mostly: Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest; Central Atlantic Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods; Southeastern Native Ruderal Flooded & Swamp Forest.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.24 mi NW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.24 mi S.
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 Lamar ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 90th | 97th | 73rd | 20th |
| South Carolina | 100th | 99th | 99th | 62nd |
| Southeastern Plains | 99th | 99th | 93rd | 74th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 36% 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 Lamar: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Elliott 7 mi · Wisacky 7 mi · Timmonsville 8 mi · Lynchburg 8 mi · Lydia 9 mi · Bishopville 11 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 Lamar (34.1695, -80.0651); 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.