city in Texas
Honey bee forage in Port Isabel, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 9% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in fall (66th percentile) and lowest in spring (7th). Expect a dearth from early Jun to late Jul.
When is the honey flow in Port Isabel?
- First forage: Jan 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers)
- Main flow: Jan 1 to May 15, peaking early Feb (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers)
- Dearth: Jun 1 to Jul 31
- Fall flow: Aug 1 to Oct 31 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Port Isabel, 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 1.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton, native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), cotton; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), cotton, native wildflowers; 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 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi SE, blooms early Apr – early May (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi SE, blooms late May – early Jul (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 Port Isabel
Mostly: Open water; Texas Coast Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh; Texas Coast Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.02 mi W; pond, lake or river 0.2 mi S.
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 Port Isabel ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 10th | 28th | 5th | 52nd |
| Texas | 9th | 7th | 10th | 66th |
| Western Gulf Coastal Plain | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 75th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 44% 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 Port Isabel: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Laguna Vista 3 mi · Laguna Heights 3 mi · Del Mar Heights 7 mi · Bayview 7 mi · Chula Vista 8 mi · Orason 8 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 Port Isabel (26.0658, -97.31); 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.