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 45.8231, -91.3665

Estimated forage here is better than about 14% of sites in Wisconsin. Against other Wisconsin sites it stands out most in spring (81st percentile) and lowest in fall (4th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 3.5 mi SE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 3.5 mi SE, grown 2 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, less than 0.1 mi away.

Ranking

  • Continental US: 51st percentile (spring 71st, summer 58th, fall 14th)
  • Wisconsin: 14th percentile (spring 81st, summer 10th, fall 4th)
  • Northern Lakes and Forests: 36th percentile (spring 62nd, summer 27th, fall 9th)

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

Season

  • First forage: Mar 16 — Early trees (maple, willow, poplar)
  • Main flow: Apr 16 to Jun 15 — Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Summer-flowering trees (locust, linden)
  • Fall flow: Jul 1 to Jul 15 — Summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), Summer-flowering shrubs, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar)
  • Season ends: Sep 15

Bee crops nearby

  • Soybeans: about 20 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.5 mi SE, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Soybeans: about 61 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.6 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Corn: about 45 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.6 mi NW, blooms late Jul – late Aug
  • Corn: about 13 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.5 mi SE, blooms late Jul – late Aug
  • Corn: about 37 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.7 mi SE, blooms late Jul – late Aug

What the honey would be made of

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

Things to watch

  • No digital FEMA flood map here. FEMA has no digital flood map for this area. Ask the county, and look for low ground near creeks before placing 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.