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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 45.1217, -87.6241

Estimated forage here is better than about 64% of sites in Michigan. Against other Michigan sites it stands out most in fall (95th percentile) and lowest in spring (55th). Biggest nearby bee crops: peas (nearest 1.0 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.8 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 1.9 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), less than 0.1 mi away. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 77th percentile (spring 65th, summer 79th, fall 90th)
  • Michigan: 64th percentile (spring 55th, summer 64th, fall 95th)
  • Northern Lakes and Forests: 96th percentile (spring 44th, summer 95th, fall 99th)

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

Season

  • First forage: Apr 1 — Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red
  • Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 31 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion
  • Fall flow: Aug 16 to Sep 15 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Garden flowers
  • Season ends: Oct 15

Bee crops nearby

  • Peas: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi W, blooms late May – early Jul
  • Alfalfa: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi SW, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Soybeans: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.9 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Alfalfa: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi N, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Soybeans: about 35 acres in a typical year, nearest 3 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Soybeans: about 18 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.2 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep

What the honey would be made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Garden flowers, Lindens / basswood; 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): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Garden flowers, Clover/Wildflowers; 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 91% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the 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.