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.

Forage on the map in —

National map

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 47.2344, -88.4396

Estimated forage here is better than about 43% of sites in Michigan. Against other Michigan sites it stands out most in fall (80th percentile) and lowest in spring (37th). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, 0.21 mi SE. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

Continental US: 67th percentile (spring 57th, summer 77th, fall 72nd)
Michigan: 43rd percentile (spring 37th, summer 61st, fall 80th)
Northern Lakes and Forests: 71st percentile (spring 28th, summer 93rd, fall 93rd)

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

Season

First forage: Mar 16 — Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Dandelion
Main flow: May 1 to Jul 31 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Dandelion
Season ends: Oct 31

What the honey would be made of

Spring honey (March to June): Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); light amber
Summer honey (July and August): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Summer-flowering shrubs, Summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), Garden flowers; extra light amber
Fall honey (September to November): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Garden flowers, Summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber
Whole season (March to November): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Summer-flowering shrubs; light amber

Things to watch

Heavily developed. About 52% 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.