Honey bee forage in Dell City, Texas

When is the honey flow in Dell City?

• First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking early May (alfalfa, cotton)
• Season ends: Aug 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Dell 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): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Summer honey (July and August): cotton, alfalfa; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), rabbitbrush; amber
• Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; white, likely to set within weeks to a few months

Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.

Bee crops within flight range

• Alfalfa: about 1,781 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi E, blooms late Apr – early Jul (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Cotton: about 156 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NW, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Grapes: about 118 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi N, blooms late Apr – early May

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 Dell City

Mostly: Alfalfa; Fallow / idle cropland; North American Warm Desert Ruderal & Planted Scrub.

Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.79 mi NE; open water 0.82 mi NE.

Things to watch

• Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025); Grapes (all types): insecticides used on about 58% of surveyed US acres (2021); Grapes, wine type: insecticides used on about 56% of surveyed US acres (2025); Grapes, table type: insecticides used on about 50% of surveyed US acres (2025); Grapes, raisin type: insecticides used on about 77% 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 Dell City ranks

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

Nearby

Butterfield 52 mi · Sierra Blanca 53 mi · Homestead Meadows South 57 mi · Homestead Meadows North 57 mi · Agua Dulce 58 mi · Fort Hancock 59 mi

All towns in Texas · National map · How the scoring works

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 Dell City (31.9349, -105.1998); 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.