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 34.2551, -87.7121

Estimated forage here is better than about 56% of sites in Alabama. Against other Alabama sites it stands out most in fall (76th percentile) and lowest in spring (63rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 1.7 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.5 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 1.5 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), less than 0.1 mi away. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

Continental US: 51st percentile (spring 81st, summer 25th, fall 23rd)
Alabama: 56th percentile (spring 63rd, summer 68th, fall 76th)
Southwestern Appalachians: 38th percentile (spring 31st, summer 50th, fall 21st)

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

Season

First forage: Jan 16 — Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Dandelion, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard)
Main flow: Feb 16 to May 31 — Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Clovers: white, alsike and red, Summer-flowering trees (locust, linden)
Season ends: Sep 30

Bee crops nearby

Soybeans: about 73 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi N, blooms early May – early Jul
Soybeans: about 32 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.9 mi N, blooms early May – early Jul
Corn: about 20 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi N, blooms late May – late Jun
Corn: about 46 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi NW, blooms late May – late Jun
Corn: about 30 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.7 mi N, blooms late May – late Jun
Soybeans: about 11 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi N, blooms early May – early Jul

What the honey would be made of

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

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.

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.