community in Texas
Honey bee forage in Elm Creek, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 24% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it ranks highest in fall (48th percentile) and lowest in summer (21st). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 2.1 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Elm Creek?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 15, peaking late Feb (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Elm Creek, 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 15.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), rabbitbrush, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush, garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); dark amber
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, garden flowers; 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 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.1 mi SW, blooms late Apr – late May (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 Elm Creek
Mostly: Tamaulipan Calcareous Thornscrub; Unmapped; Tamaulipan Mixed Deciduous Thornscrub.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.18 mi NW; open water 0.21 mi NW.
How Elm Creek ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 28th | 50th | 10th | 39th |
| Texas | 24th | 23rd | 21st | 48th |
| Southern Texas Plains | 81st | 75th | 89th | 84th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 68% 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 Elm Creek: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Siesta Acres 1 mi · Seco Mines 2 mi · Fabrica 2 mi · Eagle Pass 5 mi · Radar Base 6 mi · Las Quintas Fronterizas 6 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 Elm Creek (28.7774, -100.4934); 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.