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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Forage on the map in —

National map

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 33.6966, -86.6094

Estimated forage here is better than about 78% of sites in Alabama. Against other Alabama sites it stands out most in fall (96th percentile) and lowest in summer (73rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 3.6 mi SE, grown 2 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), 0.21 mi SE.

Ranking

Continental US: 67th percentile (spring 89th, summer 28th, fall 43rd)
Alabama: 78th percentile (spring 81st, summer 73rd, fall 96th)
Ridge and Valley: 71st percentile (spring 82nd, summer 14th, fall 48th)

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, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar)
Main flow: Feb 16 to May 15 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar)
Season ends: Sep 30

Bee crops nearby

Soybeans: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.6 mi SE, blooms early May – early Jul

What the honey would be made of

Spring honey (March to June): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), Summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber
Summer honey (July and August): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Garden flowers; light amber
Fall honey (September to November): Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Garden flowers; amber
Whole season (March to November): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), Summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber

Things to watch

Flood map not checked. FEMA's flood map service didn't answer. Check it directly.

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.