town in Texas

Honey bee forage in Pine Island, Texas

Estimated forage here is better than about 99% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in spring (96th percentile) and lowest in fall (15th). Biggest nearby bee crops: squash (right here, grown 1 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 0.1 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.3 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Pine Island?

  • First forage: Jan 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Main flow: Jan 16 to Apr 30, peaking late Feb (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
  • Fall flow: May 16 to Jul 15 (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
  • Season ends: Jul 15
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Pine Island, 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 19.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), cotton; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
  • Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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

  • Squash: about 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 0 mi , blooms early Apr – early Aug (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
  • Cotton: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi SE, blooms early Jun – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
  • Corn: about 166 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.5 mi S, blooms late Apr – late May (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 Pine Island

Mostly: Western Warm Temperate Pasture and Hayland; East-Central Texas Plains Post Oak Savanna and Woodland; Southeastern Ruderal Grassland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.13 mi E; pond, lake or river 0.15 mi E.

Things to watch

  • Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Squash: insecticides used on about 71% of surveyed US acres (2024); 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 Pine Island ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US87th95th31st10th
Texas99th96th73rd15th
Western Gulf Coastal Plain94th97th80th32nd

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 86% 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 Pine Island: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Prairie View 4 mi · Hempstead 4 mi · Waller 6 mi · Bellville 16 mi · Pattison 17 mi · San Felipe 19 mi

All towns in Texas · National map · How the scoring works

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 Pine Island (30.0538, -96.0284); 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.