community in Texas
Honey bee forage in Harrold, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 19% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in summer (81st percentile) and lowest in fall (14th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.1 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 0.3 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.6 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Harrold?
- First forage: Jan 16 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
- Main flow: Feb 16 to Aug 15, peaking early May (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Harrold, 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 20.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), clovers: white, alsike and red; 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 102 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi W, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Sorghum: about 34 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi NE, blooms late May – late Jun (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 Harrold
Mostly: Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland; Western Great Plains Mesquite Shrubland; Winter Wheat.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.17 mi E; pond, lake or river 0.2 mi NW.
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 Harrold ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 24th | 54th | 37th | 10th |
| Texas | 19th | 26th | 81st | 14th |
| Central Great Plains | 6th | 57th | 21st | 14th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 42% 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 Harrold: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Electra 7 mi · Oklaunion 8 mi · Vernon 16 mi · Lockett 20 mi · Iowa Park 21 mi · Holliday 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 Harrold (34.0676, -99.0331); 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.