community in Texas
Honey bee forage in Loop, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 94% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in summer (99th percentile) and lowest in fall (5th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (right here, grown 3 of the last 5 years); sunflower (nearest 0.5 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 0.1 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Loop?
- First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (cotton)
- Season ends: Aug 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Loop, 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 19.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): sunflower, cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): cotton, sunflower, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, 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
- Cotton: about 13,276 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi E, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Sunflower: about 26 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi SE, blooms early May – early Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Sorghum: about 73 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NW, blooms late May – late Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 13 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NW, blooms early May – early Jul (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 Loop
Mostly: Cotton; Sorghum; Peanuts.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.53 mi W; open water 0.72 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 Loop ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 83rd | 51st | 89th | 2nd |
| Texas | 94th | 23rd | 99th | 5th |
| High Plains | 99th | 63rd | 96th | 4th |
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 Loop: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Seagraves 9 mi · Wellman 9 mi · Welch 17 mi · Seminole 19 mi · Brownfield 20 mi · Denver City 24 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 Loop (32.9142, -102.4147); 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.