Making The World Sweeter Since 1888
For more than a century, honey has been running through 5 generations of the Weaver family veins. What began as a side job for Binford’s grandparents, Florence and Zachariah, after acquiring ten bee colonies as a wedding gift in 1888, has become a passion and livelihood for the four generations of Weavers that followed. It was Binford’s father Roy’s ambition and determination that set the stage for the Weaver name to be synonymous with quality bees and honey production. After learning the basics of beekeeping, Roy went on a quest for knowledge to learn more about the trade. On his first day, the boss gave him two old mules, a wagon, and an old farmer as a helper, and told him to extract a honey crop.
Starting in the 1920s through 1994, Weaver Apiaries produced queens, packages, and honey for customers worldwide. In the 1970’s the company added a second bee breed, the Buckfast. In 1994, Binford and Dan Weaver (2 of the 4 owners) decided to begin working towards a mite-tolerant and disease-resistant breed. Their partners did not want to take this step and Weaver Apiaries split into 2 companies, The R Weaver Apiaries and BeeWeaver Honey Farm. By 2000, BeeWeaver became 100% treatment free. The BeeWeaver breed, a combination of the Weaver Italian, Buckfast, SMR, and any hive that survived and thrived without chemicals became its own unique hybrid line. Today, Dan Weaver continues the BeeWeaver Honey Farm operation. Dan’s work on bee selection has enabled us to keep bees like Great Grandpa did – no mite controls and chemical-free. In 2016 we opened our retail beekeeping supply store and gift shop at our headquarters in Navasota. We added a Bee Deck so guests can participate in live hive tours and see inside a beehive. In 2020 WildFlyer Mead opened their tasting room onsite – a unique, modern, and bubbly twist to traditional mead made with Love and BeeWeaver Honey. We also added RV Campsites (electric and water hookups available) to our farm. Most recently The Fly By Sip-n-Snacks started serving honey-sweetened dishes to enjoy on our porches or picnic areas, and we converted our old shipping room and office space into a beautiful Loft available to rent for overnight stays at our farm. With all of these new additions, our focus remains the same – simply enjoying bees, beekeeping, and the people who love it as much as we do!