town in Virginia
Honey bee forage in Newsoms, Virginia
Estimated forage here is better than about 93% of sites in Virginia. Against other Virginia sites it stands out most in summer (95th percentile) and lowest in spring (39th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.2 mi SE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 0.1 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.5 mi W, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Newsoms?
- First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: May 16 to Jul 31, peaking early Jun (soybeans, cotton)
- Fall flow: Aug 16 to Aug 31 (cotton)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Newsoms, 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), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; 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, garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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), clovers: white, alsike and red; 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 50 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi N, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 71 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi SW, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 3 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 Newsoms
Mostly: Southeastern North American Temperate Forest Plantation; Southeastern Native Ruderal Forest; Southeastern Ruderal Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.13 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.34 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 Newsoms ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 78th | 76th | 79th | 37th |
| Virginia | 93rd | 39th | 95th | 55th |
| Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain | 67th | 36th | 79th | 78th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 47% 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 Newsoms: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Boykins 5 mi · Courtland 7 mi · Capron 7 mi · Branchville 8 mi · Franklin 11 mi · Southampton Meadows 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 Newsoms (36.6262, -77.1248); 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.