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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.

Or tap the map. We don't store your address or exact location.

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 33.9325, -78.0090

Estimated forage here is better than about 67% of sites in North Carolina. Against other North Carolina sites it stands out most in fall (87th percentile) and lowest in summer (34th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.5 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.9 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 0.6 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, 0.15 mi E. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 75th percentile (spring 93rd, summer 34th, fall 43rd)
  • North Carolina: 67th percentile (spring 73rd, summer 34th, fall 87th)
  • Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain: 59th percentile (spring 85th, summer 38th, fall 87th)

Percentile among 3,000 random land points across North Carolina, scored the same way; land in general, not beekeepers' yards.

Season

  • First forage: Jan 16 — Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar)
  • Main flow: Feb 1 to May 15 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion
  • Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jun 30 — Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard)
  • Season ends: Sep 30

Bee crops nearby

  • Soybeans: about 10 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi N, blooms late Apr – late Jun
  • Soybeans: about 15 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi N, blooms late Apr – late Jun
  • Soybeans: about 15 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi NE, blooms late Apr – late Jun
  • Corn: about 9 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi N, blooms early May – early Jun
  • Soybeans: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.3 mi NE, blooms late Apr – late Jun
  • Corn: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi N, blooms early May – early Jun

What the honey would be made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber
  • Summer honey (July and August): Garden flowers, Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber
  • Fall honey (September to November): Garden flowers, Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
  • Whole season (March to November): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Garden flowers; extra light amber

Things to watch

  • Heavily developed. About 59% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
  • 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.