city in Texas
Honey bee forage in Shamrock, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 75% of sites in Texas. Spring, summer and fall all rank about the same against other Texas sites. Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 1.8 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 2.6 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 2.6 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Shamrock?
- First forage: Feb 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Mar 1 to Jun 15, peaking early Apr (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Fall flow: Jul 1 to Aug 15 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Shamrock, 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): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- 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): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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 29 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.8 mi SE, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 16 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.6 mi W, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 2 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 Shamrock
Mostly: Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland; Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.32 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.34 mi E.
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 Shamrock ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 68th | 86th | 46th | 67th |
| Texas | 75th | 79th | 88th | 83rd |
| Central Great Plains | 73rd | 98th | 34th | 76th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 60% 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 Shamrock: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Samnorwood 12 mi · Wheeler 16 mi · McLean 20 mi · Quail 22 mi · Mobeetie 25 mi · Wellington 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 Shamrock (35.2154, -100.2461); 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.