Honey bee forage in Lancaster, Texas

When is the honey flow in Lancaster?

• 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, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Fall flow: Jun 1 to Jun 30 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Season ends: Sep 30

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Lancaster, 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 7.

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 shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
• Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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 11 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi SW, blooms early May – early Jun (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Corn: about 237 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.2 mi E, blooms early May – early 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 Lancaster

Mostly: East-Central Texas Plains Post Oak Savanna and Woodland; Developed, medium intensity; Southeastern Ruderal Grassland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.05 mi NW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.06 mi W.

Things to watch

• Heavily developed. About 78% 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 Lancaster ranks

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

Nearby

Bear Creek Ranch 3 mi · Hutchins 5 mi · DeSoto 5 mi · Wilmer 5 mi · Glenn Heights 6 mi · Red Oak 6 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 Lancaster (32.5962, -96.7738); 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.