community in Texas
Honey bee forage in Santa Anna, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 23% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it ranks highest in fall (44th percentile) and lowest in summer (9th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 0.3 mi W, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.4 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sunflower (nearest 2.2 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Santa Anna?
- First forage: Jan 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, native wildflowers)
- Main flow: Jan 16 to May 15, peaking early Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Dec 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Santa Anna, 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 5.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), rabbitbrush, garden flowers; amber
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), rabbitbrush; amber
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; 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 407 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi N, blooms early Apr – early May (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 32 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi N, blooms early Apr – early 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 Santa Anna
Mostly: Tamaulipan Mixed Deciduous Thornscrub; Tamaulipan Savanna Grassland; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.35 mi SW; pond, lake or river 0.51 mi NW.
How Santa Anna ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 27th | 59th | 5th | 37th |
| Texas | 23rd | 31st | 9th | 44th |
| Southern Texas Plains | 80th | 85th | 65th | 77th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 74% 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 Santa Anna: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
San Isidro 7 mi · Delmita 8 mi · El Brazil 17 mi · La Carla 20 mi · Elias-Fela Solis 20 mi · Sammy Martinez 20 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 Santa Anna (26.6692, -98.5579); 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.