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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 47.3002, -105.7630

Estimated forage here is better than about 62% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (85th percentile) and lowest in fall (23rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: peas (nearest 0.3 mi SE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); lentils (nearest 0.5 mi SE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); chickpeas (nearest 1.3 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, less than 0.1 mi away. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 42nd percentile (spring 36th, summer 69th, fall 71st)
  • Montana: 62nd percentile (spring 85th, summer 59th, fall 23rd)
  • Northwestern Great Plains: 66th percentile (spring 80th, summer 72nd, fall 8th)

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

Season

  • First forage: Apr 1 — Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Dandelion, Native wildflowers
  • Main flow: May 16 to Jul 31 — Peas, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Lentils
  • Fall flow: Aug 16 to Sep 15 — Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Alfalfa
  • Season ends: Oct 31

Bee crops nearby

  • Peas: about 51 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi SE, blooms late May – early Jul
  • Lentils: about 59 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi SE, blooms late Jun – late Jul
  • Peas: about 65 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi N, blooms late May – early Jul
  • Lentils: about 69 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi N, blooms late Jun – late Jul
  • Peas: about 55 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi NW, blooms late May – early Jul
  • Lentils: about 49 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi NW, blooms late Jun – late Jul

What the honey would be made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): Peas, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber
  • Summer honey (July and August): Lentils, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Alfalfa; extra light amber
  • Fall honey (September to November): Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Alfalfa, Clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber
  • Whole season (March to November): Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Peas, Lentils, Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber

Things to watch

  • Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 39% of the land within 3 miles is in crops bees get little from (such as wheat and other grains).

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.