Bee forage check
How good is this spot for honey bees?
Enter an address or tap the map. You'll see which bee plants and crops are within flight range (about 3.7 miles, with nearer land counting more), when the honey flow comes and when there's a dearth, nearby water, a few things worth checking, and how the spot ranks against random sites in your state and across the country.
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The colors are the national forage map: every square kilometer of the lower 48, scored the same way. See the honey flow for your state and town, the best and worst spots we found, or how the scoring works.
Forage report for 33.4026, -88.2394
Estimated forage here is better than about 56% of sites in Alabama. Against other Alabama sites it stands out most in spring (69th percentile) and lowest in fall (25th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 2.7 mi N, grown 3 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 2.2 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 3.1 mi N, grown 3 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, 0.14 mi E. 1 thing to watch (below).
Ranking
- Continental US: 51st percentile (spring 84th, summer 20th, fall 4th)
- Alabama: 56th percentile (spring 69th, summer 58th, fall 25th)
- Southeastern Plains: 44th percentile (spring 70th, summer 44th, fall 20th)
Percentile among 3,000 random land points across Alabama, scored the same way; land in general, not beekeepers' yards.
Season
- First forage: Jan 16 — Dandelion, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Early trees (maple, willow, poplar)
- Main flow: Feb 16 to May 31 — Summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Clovers: white, alsike and red
- Fall flow: Jun 16 to Jun 30 — Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Clovers: white, alsike and red, Summer-flowering shrubs
- Season ends: Aug 15
Bee crops nearby
- Corn: about 49 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.7 mi N, blooms late May – early Jun
- Soybeans: about 14 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.3 mi N, blooms late Apr – early Jul
- Soybeans: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.2 mi NW, blooms late Apr – early Jul
- Soybeans: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.2 mi NW, blooms late Apr – early Jul
- Cotton: about 21 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.5 mi N, blooms late Jun – late Aug
- Corn: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.7 mi N, blooms late May – early Jun
What the honey would be made of
- Spring honey (March to June): Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), Clovers: white, alsike and red, Summer-flowering shrubs; white
- Summer honey (July and August): Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber
- 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 trees (locust, linden), Clovers: white, alsike and red, Summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber
Things to watch
- Near a FEMA high-risk flood zone. A mapped high-risk flood zone (A) is within about 300 m. Check FEMA's map for the exact spot.
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. Honey composition is a nectar-source estimate, not a pollen analysis. Benchmark 2026.5. How this works.