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 42.1149, -70.9549

Estimated forage here is better than about 89% of sites in Massachusetts. Spring, summer and fall all rank about the same against other Massachusetts sites. Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 3.4 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, 0.12 mi SW. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

Continental US: 68th percentile (spring 77th, summer 66th, fall 70th)
Massachusetts: 89th percentile (spring 82nd, summer 88th, fall 87th)
Northeastern Coastal Zone: 85th percentile (spring 81st, summer 82nd, fall 86th)

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

Season

First forage: Mar 1 — Dandelion, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar)
Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 15 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion
Season ends: Sep 30

Bee crops nearby

Corn: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.4 mi S, blooms early Jul – early Aug

What the honey would be made of

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

Things to watch

Heavily developed. About 74% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
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.