Honey bee forage in Sand Pillow, Wisconsin

When is the honey flow in Sand Pillow?

• First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 31, peaking late May (clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion)
• Fall flow: Aug 16 to Aug 31 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Season ends: Oct 15

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Sand Pillow, 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 15.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, 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
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs; 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

• Alfalfa: about 115 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.2 mi W, blooms late Jun – early Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 14 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.7 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 23 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.7 mi NW, blooms late Jul – late Aug (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 Sand Pillow

Mostly: Laurentian-Acadian Northern Pine-(Oak) Forest; Laurentian-Acadian Northern Pine Forest; North-Central Interior Dry Oak Forest and Woodland.

Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.37 mi SE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.37 mi SE.

How Sand Pillow ranks

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

About 85% 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.

Nearby

Mission 1 mi · Black River Falls 4 mi · Hatfield 6 mi · Merrillan 9 mi · Alma Center 10 mi · Millston 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 Sand Pillow (44.3313, -90.7637); 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.