community in Virginia

Honey bee forage in Carrsville, Virginia

Estimated forage here is better than about 89% of sites in Virginia. Against other Virginia sites it stands out most in summer (94th percentile) and lowest in spring (20th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (right here, grown 4 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.7 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Carrsville?

  • First forage: Feb 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
  • Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 31, peaking late May (soybeans, cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
  • Fall flow: Aug 16 to Aug 31 (cotton)
  • Season ends: Sep 15
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Carrsville, 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 31.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), early trees (maple, willow, poplar); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Summer honey (July and August): cotton, soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
  • Fall honey (September to November): cotton, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
  • Whole season (March to November): cotton, soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid

Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.

Bee crops within flight range

  • Cotton: about 118 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
  • Soybeans: about 46 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.3 mi E, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 1 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 Carrsville

Mostly: Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest; Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; Southeastern Ruderal Grassland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.07 mi NW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.15 mi E.

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 Carrsville ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US74th71st77th45th
Virginia89th20th94th76th
Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain58th26th76th88th

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 54% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.

The national forage map around Carrsville: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Camptown 3 mi · Franklin 6 mi · Southampton Meadows 9 mi · Windsor 9 mi · Sedley 10 mi · Suffolk 11 mi

All towns in Virginia · 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 Carrsville (36.7041, -76.8391); 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.