Arcadia Bees
Nucs Queens About Nuc guide Forage Contact Join waitlist

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 47.7236, -111.0263

Estimated forage here is better than about 50% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (91st percentile) and lowest in fall (18th). Biggest nearby bee crops: peas (nearest 0.6 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); lentils (nearest 0.8 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); chickpeas (nearest 0.7 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river, 0.27 mi NE. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 35th percentile (spring 42nd, summer 61st, fall 67th)
  • Montana: 50th percentile (spring 91st, summer 40th, fall 18th)
  • Northwestern Glaciated Plains: 26th percentile (spring 87th, summer 20th, fall 25th)

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

Season

  • First forage: Mar 16 — Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Dandelion
  • Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 31 — Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Clovers: white, alsike and red
  • Season ends: Oct 31

Bee crops nearby

  • Peas: about 156 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi E, blooms late May – early Jul
  • Lentils: about 109 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi NE, blooms late Jun – late Jul
  • Chickpeas: about 52 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Aug
  • Chickpeas: about 193 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Aug
  • Clover and wildflowers: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.3 mi E, blooms early May – early Sep
  • Chickpeas: about 84 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.3 mi NE, blooms early Jul – early Aug

What the honey would be made of

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

Things to watch

  • Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 40% of the land within 3 miles is in crops bees get little from (such as wheat and other grains).
  • 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.