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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 38.5415, -76.9687

Estimated forage here is better than about 32% of sites in Maryland. Against other Maryland sites it stands out most in spring (81st percentile) and lowest in summer (23rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.9 mi W, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.9 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 0.9 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, 0.23 mi E. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 68th percentile (spring 87th, summer 56th, fall 44th)
  • Maryland: 32nd percentile (spring 81st, summer 23rd, fall 41st)
  • Southeastern Plains: 73rd percentile (spring 78th, summer 82nd, fall 96th)

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

Season

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

Bee crops nearby

  • Soybeans: about 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi W, blooms late May – late Jul
  • Soybeans: about 7 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi W, blooms late May – late Jul
  • Soybeans: about 86 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.5 mi S, blooms late May – late Jul
  • Soybeans: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi W, blooms late May – late Jul
  • Soybeans: about 22 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi NW, blooms late May – late Jul
  • Soybeans: about 19 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.1 mi N, blooms late May – late Jul

What the honey would be made of

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