city in Texas
Honey bee forage in Novice, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 61% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in spring (82nd percentile) and lowest in fall (20th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 0.4 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 2.4 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Novice?
- First forage: Jan 16 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
- Main flow: Mar 1 to May 31, peaking late Apr (summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Aug 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Novice, 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 12.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; white, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), cotton, garden flowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; white, 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 46 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi N, 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 Novice
Mostly: Western Great Plains Mesquite Shrubland; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Shrubland; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.22 mi NW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.27 mi NW.
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 Novice ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 57th | 88th | 21st | 17th |
| Texas | 61st | 82nd | 43rd | 20th |
| Central Great Plains | 61st | 98th | 6th | 20th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 79% 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 Novice: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Lawn 13 mi · Coleman 16 mi · Valera 17 mi · Tuscola 19 mi · Winters 20 mi · Buffalo Gap 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 Novice (31.9872, -99.6253); 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.