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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 what blooms within flight range (about 3.7 miles, with nearer land counting more) and when, the gaps in the season, 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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Forage report for 48.6149, -96.9526

Estimated forage here is better than about 100% of sites in Minnesota. Against other Minnesota sites it stands out most in summer (100th percentile) and lowest in spring (1st). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (right here, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sunflower (right here, grown 1 of the last 5 years); canola (right here, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), 0.11 mi N. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 100th percentile (spring 1st, summer 100th, fall 100th)
  • Minnesota: 100th percentile (spring 1st, summer 100th, fall 99th)
  • Lake Agassiz Plain: 100th percentile (spring 5th, summer 100th, fall 85th)

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

Season

  • First forage: Jun 16 — Canola, Soybeans
  • Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31 — Canola, Soybeans, Sunflower
  • Season ends: Sep 15

Bee crops nearby

  • Soybeans: about 2,432 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi W, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Sunflower: about 101 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Canola: about 264 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi E, blooms late Jun – early Aug
  • Canola: about 130 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms late Jun – early Aug
  • Soybeans: about 429 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Canola: about 51 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi SW, blooms late Jun – early Aug

What the honey would be made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): Canola, Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red; white
  • Summer honey (July and August): Canola, Soybeans, Sunflower; extra light amber
  • Fall honey (September to November): Soybeans, Sunflower; amber
  • Whole season (March to November): Canola, Soybeans, Sunflower; extra light amber

Things to watch

  • Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 41% of the land within 3 miles is in crops bees get little from (such as wheat and other grains).
  • 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.