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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.

Or tap the map. We don't store your address or exact location.

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 45.1658, -93.0555

Estimated forage here is better than about 32% of sites in Minnesota. Against other Minnesota sites it stands out most in spring (74th percentile) and lowest in summer (37th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.8 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.8 mi S, grown 3 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 1.4 mi S). Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river, less than 0.1 mi away. 2 things to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 66th percentile (spring 63rd, summer 73rd, fall 74th)
  • Minnesota: 32nd percentile (spring 74th, summer 37th, fall 62nd)
  • North Central Hardwood Forests: 25th percentile (spring 75th, summer 25th, fall 47th)

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

Season

  • First forage: Mar 16 — Dandelion, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Clovers: white, alsike and red
  • Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 31 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Soybeans
  • Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Garden flowers
  • Season ends: Oct 15

Bee crops nearby

  • Soybeans: about 36 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi NE, blooms late Jun – early Sep
  • Soybeans: about 32 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi S, blooms late Jun – early Sep
  • Corn: about 55 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi S, blooms early Jul – early Aug
  • Corn: about 47 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi NE, blooms early Jul – early Aug
  • Corn: about 85 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Aug
  • Soybeans: about 37 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi NE, blooms late Jun – early Sep

What the honey would be made of

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

Things to watch

  • Heavily developed. About 51% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
  • Near a FEMA high-risk flood zone. A mapped high-risk flood zone (AE) is within about 300 m. Check FEMA's map for the exact spot.

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.