To know bees and beekeeping in Texas is to know Stan Gore. A native Texan, Stan served in the U.S. Air Force and is a Vietnam Veteran. He now lives in Brenham with his wife, Bev. He has over 100 hives of his own in four different counties, where he not only manages the hives but grafts and makes a few queens. His beekeeping journey started while watching his grandfather work hives in Montana, where he lived for 20 years.

He owns the Texas Honey Bee Rescue, where he helps fellow beekeepers, experienced and not, with bee issues. He rescues swarms and boxes them for nurturing. Part of this process is mentoring and training new beekeepers and teaching them how to keep the bees alive and healthy. According to studies, 80% of new beekeepers give up after only three years. Stan’s goal is to decrease that percentage a little at a time.

Stan is on the Executive Board of the Texas Beekeepers Association and a teacher at Bee Events and also owns Honking Goose Video Media. Stan is also the owner, administrator, and “Chief Goober” of Texas Friendly Beekeepers with over 7,600 members on Facebook! This busy and dynamic group page is a friendly-only space where people can hang out and talk about bees. The goals are to educate, equip, and encourage new and old beekeepers. There is no trash talk allowed on the page to promote kindness and keep a high level of comfortability. The strict “friendly-only” guidelines allow bee folk to share their glories and mistakes openly to encourage group learning. Stan’s love of beekeeping is a calling and a passion, much more than a hobby. “He is a Disciple of Christ disguised as a beekeeper.”

We are passionate about Stan’s love of bees and people. His vision for Hives for Heroes is his everyday motto – to educate, equip, and encourage veterans and civilians. Our deepest gratitude goes to this treasure of a bee-conservationist as we attempt to emulate his passion for bees and humans.