town in Tennessee
Honey bee forage in Gates, Tennessee
Estimated forage here is better than about 98% of sites in Tennessee. Against other Tennessee sites it stands out most in summer (97th percentile) and lowest in spring (40th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi NW); cotton (nearest 0.3 mi NE, grown 4 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.3 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Gates?
- First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: May 16 to Jul 15, peaking early Jul (soybeans)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Gates, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on Mar 29.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, soybeans; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): cotton, garden flowers; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Soybeans: about 5,904 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi W, blooms early May – late Jul (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 1,979 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi NE, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 206 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi SE, blooms late May – late Jun (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
From USDA's crop maps for 2021–2025; fields rotate, so a crop counts by how often it was grown. Listing a field says nothing about its owner.
The land and water around Gates
Mostly: Cotton; Soybeans; Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.05 mi NE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.06 mi NE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Gates ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 98th | 87th | 93rd | 36th |
| Tennessee | 98th | 40th | 97th | 58th |
| Mississippi Valley Loess Plains | 96th | 55th | 92nd | 87th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Gates: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Halls 3 mi · Fowlkes 9 mi · Ripley 10 mi · Friendship 10 mi · Maury City 10 mi · Finley 14 mi
All towns in Tennessee · National map · How the scoring works
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. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Gates (35.8405, -89.4081); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.