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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.

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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 34.3210, -78.9289

Estimated forage here is better than about 96% of sites in North Carolina. Against other North Carolina sites it stands out most in spring (98th percentile) and lowest in fall (37th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (right here, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (right here, grown 3 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, less than 0.1 mi away. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 88th percentile (spring 97th, summer 69th, fall 12th)
  • North Carolina: 96th percentile (spring 98th, summer 82nd, fall 37th)
  • Southeastern Plains: 98th percentile (spring 99th, summer 90th, fall 54th)

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 — Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Dandelion, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar)
  • Main flow: May 1 to Jun 30 — Soybeans
  • Season ends: Aug 15

Bee crops nearby

  • Soybeans: about 373 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi W, blooms late Apr – early Jul
  • Corn: about 408 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi W, blooms early May – early Jun
  • Soybeans: about 260 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi S, blooms late Apr – early Jul
  • Soybeans: about 79 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi SE, blooms late Apr – early Jul
  • Soybeans: about 44 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi E, blooms late Apr – early Jul
  • Soybeans: about 222 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms late Apr – early Jul

What the honey would be made of

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

Things to watch

  • Near a FEMA high-risk flood zone. A mapped high-risk flood zone (AE) 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.