town in Texas
Honey bee forage in Sanford, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 49% of sites in Texas. Spring, summer and fall all rank about the same against other Texas sites. Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 3.6 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Sanford?
- First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Mar 16 to May 31, peaking early Apr (summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Fall flow: Jun 16 to Jun 30 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Sanford, 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 30.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs; white, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion; extra light amber, 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 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.6 mi NW, blooms early Jun – 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 Sanford
Mostly: Western Great Plains Mesquite Shrubland; Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.11 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.11 mi S.
How Sanford ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 50th | 81st | 29th | 53rd |
| Texas | 49th | 66th | 68th | 66th |
| Southwestern Tablelands | 91st | 97th | 27th | 20th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 85% 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 Sanford: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Lake Meredith Estates 5 mi · Fritch 5 mi · Borger 8 mi · Stinnett 10 mi · Skellytown 22 mi · Morse 25 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 Sanford (35.7026, -101.5318); 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.