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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 48.2463, -112.4678

Estimated forage here is better than about 86% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in fall (95th percentile) and lowest in spring (54th). Biggest nearby bee crops: canola (nearest 0.3 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); lentils (nearest 0.6 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.1 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: open water, less than 0.1 mi away. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 65th percentile (spring 26th, summer 80th, fall 98th)
  • Montana: 86th percentile (spring 54th, summer 80th, fall 95th)
  • Northwestern Glaciated Plains: 55th percentile (spring 48th, summer 52nd, fall 93rd)

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

Season

  • First forage: Apr 16 — Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Dandelion, Canola
  • Main flow: Jun 1 to Aug 15 — Alfalfa, Canola, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard)
  • Fall flow: Sep 1 to Oct 15 — Alfalfa
  • Season ends: Oct 31

Bee crops nearby

  • Canola: about 45 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi E, blooms early May – late Jul
  • Lentils: about 239 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi SE, blooms early Jul – early Aug
  • Canola: about 32 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi W, blooms early May – late Jul
  • Alfalfa: about 183 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi NW, blooms early Jul – late Oct
  • Canola: about 31 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi SW, blooms early May – late Jul
  • Canola: about 59 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.6 mi E, blooms early May – late Jul

What the honey would be made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): Canola, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Peas, Dandelion; white
  • Summer honey (July and August): Alfalfa, Canola, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Lentils; white
  • Fall honey (September to November): Alfalfa, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); white
  • Whole season (March to November): Alfalfa, Canola, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Lentils; white

Things to watch

  • Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 38% 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.