community in Texas
Honey bee forage in Pena, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 61% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in fall (52nd percentile) and lowest in summer (29th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 0.1 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 0.1 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sunflower (nearest 2.1 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Pena?
- First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jan 1 to Apr 15, peaking early Feb (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Fall flow: May 1 to May 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 Pena, 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 4.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), cotton, rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), rabbitbrush; amber
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), garden flowers, 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 81 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi E, blooms early Apr – early May (grown 3 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 Pena
Mostly: Unmapped; Tamaulipan Mixed Deciduous Thornscrub; Tamaulipan Calcareous Thornscrub.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.09 mi E; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.57 mi W.
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 Pena ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 57th | 62nd | 15th | 43rd |
| Texas | 61st | 35th | 29th | 52nd |
| Southern Texas Plains | 94th | 88th | 95th | 88th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 57% 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 Pena: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Moraida 0 mi · J.F. Villareal 1 mi · Escobares 1 mi · Loma Vista 1 mi · Mesquite 1 mi · North Escobares 1 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 Pena (26.4155, -98.97); 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.