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 48.1448, -104.5160

Estimated forage here is better than about 84% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (97th percentile) and lowest in fall (59th). Biggest nearby bee crops: millet (nearest 0.4 mi SE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); canola (nearest 1.1 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.5 mi W). Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow, 0.18 mi SE. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

Continental US: 62nd percentile (spring 54th, summer 73rd, fall 88th)
Montana: 84th percentile (spring 97th, summer 66th, fall 59th)
Northwestern Glaciated Plains: 52nd percentile (spring 95th, summer 40th, fall 59th)

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

Season

First forage: Mar 16 — Dandelion, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar), Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard)
Main flow: Apr 16 to Sep 15 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Alfalfa, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard)
Season ends: Oct 31

Bee crops nearby

Millet: about 80 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi SE, blooms late Jul – late Sep
Canola: about 18 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi SE, blooms early Jun – late Jul
Alfalfa: about 136 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi S, blooms late Jun – early Sep
Lentils: about 49 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi NE, blooms late Jun – late Jul
Corn: about 76 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi SW, blooms late Jul – late Sep
Millet: about 34 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi W, blooms late Jul – late Sep

What the honey would be made of

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

Things to watch

Near a FEMA high-risk flood zone. A mapped high-risk flood zone (A) is within about 300 m. Check FEMA's map for the exact spot.

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.