Honey bee forage in Ridgeland, South Carolina

When is the honey flow in Ridgeland?

• First forage: Jan 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Main flow: Feb 1 to Apr 30, peaking early Mar (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering shrubs)
• Season ends: Dec 31

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

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), early trees (maple, willow, poplar); extra 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), garden flowers, 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), summer-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), early trees (maple, willow, poplar); 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

• Corn: about 12 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.6 mi W, blooms early May – late May (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
• Cotton: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.3 mi NW, blooms early Jun – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.3 mi NW, blooms early 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 Ridgeland

Mostly: Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest; Atlantic Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland; Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.11 mi NW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.32 mi W.

How Ridgeland ranks

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

About 92% 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.

Nearby

Laurel Bay 8 mi · Coosawhatchie 8 mi · Seabrook 11 mi · Gillisonville 11 mi · Burton 11 mi · Sheldon 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 Ridgeland (32.4688, -80.9211); 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.