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 40.3659, -90.4232

Estimated forage here is better than about 50% of sites in Illinois. Against other Illinois sites it stands out most in fall (77th percentile) and lowest in summer (39th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.2 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.1 mi SE, grown 3 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: open water, 0.14 mi E.

Ranking

Continental US: 92nd percentile (spring 58th, summer 92nd, fall 40th)
Illinois: 50th percentile (spring 72nd, summer 39th, fall 77th)
Interior River Valleys and Hills: 65th percentile (spring 49th, summer 60th, fall 76th)

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

Season

First forage: Mar 16 — Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar)
Main flow: Jun 16 to Aug 15 — Soybeans
Season ends: Sep 15

Bee crops nearby

Soybeans: about 6,960 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NW, blooms early Jun – late Aug
Soybeans: about 2,900 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi S, blooms early Jun – late Aug
Corn: about 3,374 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi SE, blooms late Jun – late Jul
Corn: about 7,091 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi W, blooms late Jun – late Jul
Soybeans: about 30 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi N, blooms early Jun – late Aug
Soybeans: about 27 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi W, blooms early Jun – late Aug

What the honey would be made of

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

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.