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 37.2777, -79.9590
Estimated forage here is better than about 66% of sites in Virginia. Against other Virginia sites it stands out most in fall (76th percentile) and lowest in spring (58th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 3.1 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river, 0.59 mi S. 1 thing to watch (below).
Ranking
- Continental US: 61st percentile (spring 80th, summer 56th, fall 45th)
- Virginia: 66th percentile (spring 58th, summer 71st, fall 76th)
- Ridge and Valley: 60th percentile (spring 59th, summer 70th, fall 54th)
Percentile among 3,000 random land points across Virginia, scored the same way; land in general, not beekeepers' yards.
Season
- First forage: Feb 16 — Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jun 15 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion
- Fall flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31 — Garden flowers, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion
- Season ends: Sep 30
Bee crops nearby
- Corn: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.1 mi S, blooms early Jun – early Jul
What the honey would be made of
- Spring honey (March to June): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Garden flowers, Lindens / basswood; extra light amber
- Summer honey (July and August): Garden flowers, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion; extra light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): Garden flowers
- Whole season (March to November): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Garden flowers, Lindens / basswood; extra light amber
Things to watch
- Heavily developed. About 99% 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.