Arcadia Bees
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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.

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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 41.8673, -103.6609

Estimated forage here is better than about 58% of sites in Nebraska. Against other Nebraska sites it stands out most in spring (98th percentile) and lowest in summer (47th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 1.0 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 1.4 mi E, grown 4 of the last 5 years); dry beans (nearest 1.0 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: open water, 0.26 mi NE. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 69th percentile (spring 63rd, summer 76th, fall 73rd)
  • Nebraska: 58th percentile (spring 98th, summer 47th, fall 52nd)
  • High Plains: 89th percentile (spring 88th, summer 76th, fall 69th)

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

Season

  • First forage: Mar 16 — Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red
  • Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 31 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Alfalfa
  • Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 — Garden flowers, Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red
  • Season ends: Sep 30

Bee crops nearby

  • Corn: about 1,952 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi NE, blooms early Jul – early Aug
  • Corn: about 434 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Aug
  • Alfalfa: about 259 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi N, blooms late Jun – late Aug
  • Dry beans: about 53 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Dry beans: about 58 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Corn: about 60 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.3 mi W, blooms early Jul – early Aug

What the honey would be made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Garden flowers, Lindens / basswood; extra light amber
  • Summer honey (July and August): Alfalfa, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Garden flowers, Dry Beans; white
  • Fall honey (September to November): Garden flowers, Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dry Beans; extra light amber
  • Whole season (March to November): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Alfalfa, Garden flowers; extra light amber

Things to watch

  • Heavily developed. About 97% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
  • No digital FEMA flood map here. FEMA has no digital flood map for this area. Ask the county, and look for low ground near creeks before placing hives.

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.