Arcadia Bees
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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 48.9943, -111.9671

Estimated forage here is better than about 67% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (78th percentile) and lowest in fall (26th). Biggest nearby bee crops: chickpeas (nearest 0.3 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); lentils (nearest 0.3 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); canola (nearest 1.0 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), 0.22 mi E. 1 thing to watch (below).

Ranking

  • Continental US: 46th percentile (spring 32nd, summer 73rd, fall 73rd)
  • Montana: 67th percentile (spring 78th, summer 66th, fall 26th)
  • Northwestern Glaciated Plains: 38th percentile (spring 70th, summer 41st, fall 32nd)

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

Season

  • First forage: Apr 1 — Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red
  • Main flow: May 16 to Aug 15 — Clovers: white, alsike and red, Chick Peas, Lentils
  • Season ends: Oct 31

Bee crops nearby

  • Chickpeas: about 94 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi W, blooms early Jul – early Aug
  • Lentils: about 91 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi W, blooms late Jun – early Aug
  • Chickpeas: about 200 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi SW, blooms early Jul – early Aug
  • Lentils: about 132 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi S, blooms late Jun – early Aug
  • Canola: about 22 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi SW, blooms early May – late Jul
  • Canola: about 54 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi SW, blooms early May – late Jul

What the honey would be made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): Dandelion, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Peas, Canola; extra light amber
  • Summer honey (July and August): Chick Peas, Lentils, Clovers: white, alsike and red, Alfalfa; white
  • Fall honey (September to November): Alfalfa, Fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion; extra light amber
  • Whole season (March to November): Clovers: white, alsike and red, Dandelion, Chick Peas, Lentils; extra light amber

Things to watch

  • Lots of crops with little or no bee value. About 42% 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.