community in Texas
Honey bee forage in Box Canyon, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 3% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it ranks highest in fall (49th percentile) and lowest in spring (3rd). Expect a dearth from late May to late Sep.
When is the honey flow in Box Canyon?
- First forage: Jan 1 (native wildflowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
- Main flow: Feb 1 to Apr 30, peaking late Feb (native wildflowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spring-flowering shrubs)
- Dearth: May 16 to Sep 30
- Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 15 (rabbitbrush, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Box Canyon, 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 Feb 20.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), spring-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), rabbitbrush, cotton, garden flowers; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): native wildflowers, rabbitbrush, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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
- Cotton: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.6 mi S, blooms early Jun – late Jul (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 Box Canyon
Mostly: Chihuahuan Mixed Desert and Thornscrub; Tamaulipan Calcareous Thornscrub; Tamaulipan Mixed Deciduous Thornscrub.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.07 mi W; pond, lake or river 0.24 mi SW.
Things to watch
- 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 Box Canyon ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 5th | 21st | 3rd | 40th |
| Texas | 3rd | 3rd | 5th | 49th |
| Chihuahuan Deserts | 19th | 10th | 10th | 33rd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 89% 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 Box Canyon: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Amistad 1 mi · Lake View 13 mi · Cienegas Terrace 17 mi · Del Rio 20 mi · Val Verde Park 23 mi · Laughlin AFB 26 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 Box Canyon (29.5335, -101.1586); 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.