city in Texas
Honey bee forage in Sunray, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 73% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in summer (94th percentile) and lowest in spring (43rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.2 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 0.2 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 0.6 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Sunray?
- First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: Jun 1 to Aug 15, peaking early Jun (cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (cotton)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Sunray, 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 Apr 5.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, black locust; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), garden flowers, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): cotton, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, 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
- Cotton: about 297 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi W, blooms late Jul – early Sep (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 297 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi E, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Sorghum: about 181 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.6 mi S, blooms early Jun – early Jul (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 Sunray
Mostly: Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Winter Wheat; Sorghum.
Nearest mapped water: pond, lake or river 0.21 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.62 mi NE.
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 Sunray ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 67th | 69th | 72nd | 54th |
| Texas | 73rd | 43rd | 94th | 67th |
| High Plains | 88th | 92nd | 66th | 43rd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Sunray: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Cactus 10 mi · Dumas 13 mi · Morse 20 mi · Stinnett 25 mi · Stratford 26 mi · Sanford 27 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 Sunray (36.0184, -101.8245); 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.