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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 45.2973, -94.9476

Estimated forage here is better than about 36% of sites in Minnesota. Against other Minnesota sites it stands out most in spring (77th percentile) and lowest in summer (37th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.7 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.6 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.7 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river, 0.11 mi NE.

Ranking

  • Continental US: 70th percentile (spring 65th, summer 74th, fall 82nd)
  • Minnesota: 36th percentile (spring 77th, summer 37th, fall 73rd)
  • North Central Hardwood Forests: 32nd percentile (spring 78th, summer 26th, fall 69th)

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 Jul 31 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion
  • Fall flow: Aug 16 to Sep 30 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster)
  • Season ends: Oct 15

Bee crops nearby

  • Soybeans: about 13 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi SW, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Soybeans: about 69 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi W, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Corn: about 89 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi W, blooms late Jul – late Aug
  • Alfalfa: about 39 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.3 mi SW, blooms late Jun – early Sep
  • Soybeans: about 12 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi SW, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Soybeans: about 21 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.6 mi S, blooms early Jul – early Sep

What the honey would be made of

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

Things to watch

  • 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.