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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 48.9212, -97.9178

Estimated forage here is better than about 74% of sites in North Dakota. Against other North Dakota sites it stands out most in spring (96th percentile) and lowest in summer (61st). Biggest nearby bee crops: canola (nearest 0.5 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.6 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.5 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river, 0.17 mi S. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 96th percentile (spring 52nd, summer 93rd, fall 99th)
  • North Dakota: 74th percentile (spring 96th, summer 61st, fall 69th)
  • Lake Agassiz Plain: 82nd percentile (spring 92nd, summer 59th, fall 56th)

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

Season

  • First forage: Apr 16 — Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Early trees (maple, willow, poplar)
  • Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31 — Canola, Soybeans, Sunflower
  • Season ends: Oct 15

Bee crops nearby

  • Canola: about 103 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi N, blooms late Jun – early Aug
  • Canola: about 59 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi SW, blooms late Jun – early Aug
  • Soybeans: about 192 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi N, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Corn: about 327 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi N, blooms late Jul – late Aug
  • Sunflower: about 154 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi W, blooms late Jul – early Sep
  • Canola: about 13 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi SE, blooms late Jun – early Aug

What the honey would be made of

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

Things to watch

  • Near a FEMA high-risk flood zone. A mapped high-risk flood zone (AE) 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.