community in Wisconsin
Honey bee forage in Dalton, Wisconsin
Estimated forage here is better than about 57% of sites in Wisconsin. Spring, summer and fall all rank about the same against other Wisconsin sites. Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.2 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.2 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.2 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Dalton?
- First forage: Mar 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (alfalfa, soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Dalton, 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 May 13.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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
- Corn: about 958 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi NE, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 21 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi NE, blooms late Jun – early Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 65 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi N, blooms late Jun – 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 Dalton
Mostly: North-Central Interior Wet Meadow; North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland; North-Central Interior Maple-Basswood Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.17 mi S; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.22 mi S.
How Dalton ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 75th | 60th | 82nd | 64th |
| Wisconsin | 57th | 57th | 57th | 55th |
| Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains | 15th | 78th | 19th | 38th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 57% 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 Dalton: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Kingston 5 mi · Marquette 7 mi · Friesland 9 mi · Cambria 9 mi · Pardeeville 10 mi · Montello 11 mi
All towns in Wisconsin · 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 Dalton (43.6564, -89.2076); 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.