town in Virginia
Honey bee forage in Wachapreague, Virginia
Estimated forage here is better than about 91% of sites in Virginia. Against other Virginia sites it stands out most in summer (93rd percentile) and lowest in fall (37th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.2 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.2 mi SW, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Wachapreague?
- First forage: Feb 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: May 16 to Jul 31, peaking early Jun (soybeans)
- Season ends: Aug 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Wachapreague, 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 Apr 7.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); 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
- Soybeans: about 137 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi SW, blooms late May – late Jul (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 Wachapreague
Mostly: Open water; Open Water; Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.18 mi NW; pond, lake or river 0.19 mi E.
How Wachapreague ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 77th | 82nd | 75th | 22nd |
| Virginia | 91st | 63rd | 93rd | 37th |
| Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain | 63rd | 53rd | 75th | 56th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 45% 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 Wachapreague: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Locust Mount 1 mi · Mappsburg 4 mi · Melfa 4 mi · Keller 4 mi · Quinby 4 mi · Painter 5 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 Wachapreague (37.6064, -75.6893); 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.