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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 48.9445, -98.7144

Estimated forage here is better than about 100% of sites in North Dakota. Against other North Dakota sites it stands out most in summer (100th percentile) and lowest in spring (4th). Biggest nearby bee crops: canola (right here, grown 2 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.4 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sunflower (nearest 0.4 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), less than 0.1 mi away. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 100th percentile (spring 2nd, summer 100th, fall 84th)
  • North Dakota: 100th percentile (spring 4th, summer 100th, fall 10th)
  • Northern Glaciated Plains: 100th percentile (spring 3rd, summer 100th, fall 29th)

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

Season

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

Bee crops nearby

  • Canola: about 10,361 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms late Jun – early Aug
  • Soybeans: about 834 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi S, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Sunflower: about 81 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi SE, blooms late Jul – early Sep
  • Soybeans: about 261 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi SE, blooms early Jul – early Sep
  • Sunflower: about 14 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi N, blooms late Jul – early Sep
  • Peas: about 44 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi W, blooms early Jun – early Jul

What the honey would be made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): Canola, Peas, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Dandelion; white
  • Summer honey (July and August): Canola, Soybeans; white
  • Fall honey (September to November): Soybeans, Sunflower, Roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), Dry Beans; light amber
  • Whole season (March to November): Canola, Soybeans, Sunflower; white

Things to watch

  • Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 36% 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.