city in Texas
Honey bee forage in Archer City, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 74% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in spring (88th percentile) and lowest in fall (21st). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 0.7 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 2.6 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Archer City?
- First forage: Jan 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Feb 16 to May 15, peaking late Mar (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jun 30 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Archer City, 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 15.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); 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
- Sorghum: about 41 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi SE, blooms late May – late Jun (grown 1 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 Archer City
Mostly: Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland; Western Great Plains Mesquite Shrubland; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.12 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.13 mi SE.
Things to watch
- Heavily developed. About 51% of the land within a mile is developed. Less room for forage, and more neighbors near the hives.
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025). 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 Archer City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 67th | 91st | 32nd | 18th |
| Texas | 74th | 88th | 74th | 21st |
| Central Great Plains | 72nd | 99th | 14th | 21st |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 56% 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 Archer City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Scotland 10 mi · Windthorst 11 mi · Holliday 16 mi · Lakeside City 17 mi · Olney 18 mi · Megargel 20 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 Archer City (33.5927, -98.6268); 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.