city in Texas
Honey bee forage in Natalia, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 53% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in fall (63rd percentile) and lowest in summer (36th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 1.1 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 1.3 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.5 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Natalia?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 30, peaking late Feb (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: May 16 to Jun 15 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Natalia, 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 17.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, rabbitbrush; amber
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion; 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 10 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi NW, blooms late Apr – late May (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 17 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.7 mi W, blooms early Jun – 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 Natalia
Mostly: Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland; East-Central Texas Plains Xeric Sandyland; Tamaulipan Mesquite Upland Scrub.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.08 mi N; pond, lake or river 0.34 mi NE.
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 Natalia ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 53rd | 66th | 18th | 50th |
| Texas | 53rd | 39th | 36th | 63rd |
| Southern Texas Plains | 92nd | 91st | 97th | 95th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 70% 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 Natalia: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Devine 4 mi · Lytle 5 mi · Bigfoot 9 mi · LaCoste 9 mi · Somerset 12 mi · Castroville 12 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 Natalia (29.1855, -98.8521); 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.