city in Texas
Honey bee forage in Big Spring, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 87% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in spring (92nd percentile) and lowest in fall (74th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 1.7 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 1.9 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Big Spring?
- First forage: Jan 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Mar 1 to May 15, peaking early Mar (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jul 31 (garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Big Spring, 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 10.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, 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
- Cotton: about 568 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.2 mi N, blooms late Jun – early 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 Big Spring
Mostly: Western Great Plains Mesquite Shrubland; Developed, low intensity (houses and yards); Edwards Plateau Limestone Savanna and Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.44 mi W; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.54 mi NW.
Things to watch
- Heavily developed. About 68% 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 Big Spring ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 78th | 93rd | 44th | 59th |
| Texas | 87th | 92nd | 87th | 74th |
| High Plains | 95th | 100th | 17th | 50th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 36% 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 Big Spring: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Sand Springs 9 mi · Coahoma 11 mi · Forsan 11 mi · Stanton 19 mi · Ackerly 24 mi · Garden City 25 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 Big Spring (32.2383, -101.4857); 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.