town in Texas
Honey bee forage in Panhandle, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 86% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in summer (95th percentile) and lowest in spring (70th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.5 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.6 mi S, grown 3 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 1.0 mi S, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Panhandle?
- First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Mar 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Apr (cotton, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Panhandle, 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 Apr 5.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), lindens / basswood; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): cotton, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- 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 1,651 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi NE, blooms late Jul – early Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 274 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi NW, blooms early Jun – early 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 Panhandle
Mostly: Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Corn; Sorghum.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.48 mi N; pond, lake or river 0.79 mi W.
Things to watch
- Heavily developed. About 52% 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 Panhandle ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 77th | 82nd | 73rd | 65th |
| Texas | 86th | 70th | 95th | 81st |
| High Plains | 95th | 99th | 69th | 59th |
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 Panhandle: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
White Deer 13 mi · Washburn 16 mi · Claude 17 mi · Groom 18 mi · Skellytown 19 mi · Borger 22 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 Panhandle (35.3463, -101.3805); 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.