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 38.5977, -77.1549

Estimated forage here is better than about 16% of sites in Maryland. Against other Maryland sites it stands out most in spring (74th percentile) and lowest in summer (6th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sunflower (nearest 3.0 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 3.1 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, 0.26 mi N.

Ranking

Continental US: 55th percentile (spring 84th, summer 39th, fall 44th)
Maryland: 16th percentile (spring 74th, summer 6th, fall 41st)
Southeastern Plains: 54th percentile (spring 70th, summer 70th, 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)
Main flow: Mar 16 to Jun 15 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion
Season ends: Sep 30

Bee crops nearby

Sunflower: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 3 mi S, blooms early Jun – late Jul
Alfalfa: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.1 mi S, blooms late May – early Aug

What the honey would be made of

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