city in Texas
Honey bee forage in Colorado City, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 85% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in spring (91st percentile) and lowest in fall (36th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.7 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 1.1 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Colorado City?
- First forage: Jan 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Feb 16 to May 15, peaking early Mar (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden))
- Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jul 31 (cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Colorado 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 12.
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 trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, cotton, 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 364 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.3 mi NE, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Sorghum: about 117 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi E, blooms early May – early Jun (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 Colorado City
Mostly: Western Great Plains Mesquite Shrubland; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.56 mi W; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.65 mi SE.
Things to watch
- Heavily developed. About 75% 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 Colorado City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 76th | 93rd | 45th | 32nd |
| Texas | 85th | 91st | 87th | 36th |
| Southwestern Tablelands | 99th | 100th | 72nd | 10th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 33% 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 Colorado City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Lake Colorado City 6 mi · Loraine 9 mi · Westbrook 10 mi · Hermleigh 18 mi · Roscoe 19 mi · Snyder 22 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 Colorado City (32.3995, -100.8583); 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.