town in Texas
Honey bee forage in Alto, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 89% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in spring (93rd percentile) and lowest in fall (36th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 2.8 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Alto?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Feb 1 to May 15, peaking early Mar (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Alto, 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 2.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra 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): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs, garden flowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
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 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.8 mi N, blooms early May – early Jun (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 Alto
Mostly: Eastern Warm Temperate Pasture and Hayland; West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine Forest; West Gulf Coastal Plain Sandhill Shortleaf Pine Forest and Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.3 mi SW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.41 mi NE.
How Alto ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 79th | 94th | 31st | 32nd |
| Texas | 89th | 93rd | 71st | 36th |
| South Central Plains | 90th | 88th | 87th | 53rd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 72% 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 Alto: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Rusk 11 mi · Wells 13 mi · Reklaw 16 mi · Cushing 17 mi · Gallatin 18 mi · Kennard 21 mi
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 Alto (31.651, -95.0708); 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.