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 37.9133, -78.9304

Estimated forage here is better than about 61% of sites in Virginia. Against other Virginia sites it stands out most in fall (94th percentile) and lowest in summer (37th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 2.8 mi SE, grown 4 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), 0.26 mi NW.

Ranking

Continental US: 59th percentile (spring 87th, summer 37th, fall 51st)
Virginia: 61st percentile (spring 81st, summer 37th, fall 94th)
Blue Ridge: 61st percentile (spring 48th, summer 75th, fall 94th)

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

Season

First forage: Feb 16 — Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Dandelion
Main flow: Mar 16 to Jun 15 — Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), Clovers: white, alsike and red
Season ends: Oct 31

Bee crops nearby

Corn: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.8 mi SE, blooms late Jun – late Jul

What the honey would be made of

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