town in Texas
Honey bee forage in Merkel, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 86% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in summer (92nd percentile) and lowest in fall (22nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.4 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 0.7 mi N, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Merkel?
- 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)
- Fall flow: Jun 1 to Aug 15 (cotton)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Merkel, 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 11.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, garden flowers; 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, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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 4,037 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi SW, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Sorghum: about 84 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi N, blooms early May – early Jun (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 Merkel
Mostly: Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Shrubland; Cotton; Winter Wheat.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.82 mi NW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.9 mi W.
Things to watch
- Heavily developed. About 62% 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 Merkel ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 77th | 86th | 62nd | 18th |
| Texas | 86th | 78th | 92nd | 22nd |
| Central Great Plains | 79th | 97th | 45th | 21st |
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 Merkel: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Trent 7 mi · Tye 9 mi · Hawley 15 mi · Impact 16 mi · Abilene 16 mi · Buffalo Gap 17 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 Merkel (32.4697, -100.0111); 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.