town in Texas
Honey bee forage in Lake City, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 25% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it ranks highest in summer (36th percentile) and lowest in fall (13th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 0.2 mi SE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 0.2 mi SE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.4 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Lake City?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jan 16 to May 15, peaking early Feb (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jul 15 (cotton)
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Lake 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 Feb 10.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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): cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; 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
- Sorghum: about 271 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi SE, blooms early Apr – early May (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 259 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi SE, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 2 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 Lake City
Mostly: Open water; Western Warm Temperate Pasture and Hayland; Southeastern Ruderal Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.13 mi N; open water 0.13 mi N.
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 Lake City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 30th | 54th | 18th | 9th |
| Texas | 25th | 26th | 36th | 13th |
| Southern Texas Plains | 82nd | 79th | 97th | 2nd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Lake City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Edgewater Estates 1 mi · Paisano Park 2 mi · Lakeside 2 mi · Lakeshore Gardens-Hidden Acres 3 mi · Mathis 4 mi · Sandia 4 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 Lake City (28.0831, -97.8826); 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.