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 42.2690, -71.8071
Estimated forage here is better than about 17% of sites in Massachusetts. Against other Massachusetts sites it stands out most in fall (70th percentile) and lowest in spring (3rd). Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river, 0.45 mi W. 1 thing to watch (below).
Ranking
- Continental US: 25th percentile (spring 44th, summer 48th, fall 63rd)
- Massachusetts: 17th percentile (spring 3rd, summer 35th, fall 70th)
- Northeastern Coastal Zone: 13th percentile (spring 2nd, summer 33rd, fall 67th)
Percentile among 3,000 random land points across Massachusetts, scored the same way; land in general, not beekeepers' yards.
Season
- First forage: Mar 16 — Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red
- Main flow: May 1 to Jul 31 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Garden flowers
- Fall flow: Aug 16 to Sep 30 — Garden flowers, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion
- Season ends: Oct 15
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): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Garden flowers, Dandelion, Summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): Garden flowers, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion; extra light amber
- Whole season (March to November): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Garden flowers, Summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber
Things to watch
- Heavily developed. About 96% 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.