town in Delaware
Honey bee forage in Houston, Delaware
Estimated forage here is better than about 95% of sites in Delaware. Against other Delaware sites it stands out most in summer (84th percentile) and lowest in fall (51st). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.1 mi S, grown 4 of the last 5 years); watermelons (nearest 0.3 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Houston?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jun 1 to Jul 31, peaking late Jun (soybeans)
- Season ends: Sep 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Houston, 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 16.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): soybeans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, 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), garden flowers, watermelons, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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 250 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi SW, blooms early Jun – early Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 1,146 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi NE, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 2 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 Houston
Mostly: Corn; Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood Forest; Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.48 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.48 mi S.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Watermelons: insecticides used on about 38% of surveyed US acres (2024). 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 Houston ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 90th | 67th | 90th | 39th |
| Delaware | 95th | 58th | 84th | 51st |
| Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain | 95th | 19th | 95th | 82nd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Houston: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Harrington 4 mi · Milford 4 mi · Farmington 5 mi · Lincoln 6 mi · Frederica 7 mi · Felton 8 mi
All towns in Delaware · 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 Houston (38.9173, -75.5039); 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.