Lynchburg BeeKeeping

Meet Paul Tabor

Swarm Hunter

In 1995, I was buzzing with excitement when I stumbled upon a random honey bee swarm in a backyard. With almost no knowledge about bees, I built what looked like a quirky birdhouse. Dressed in coveralls, gloves, and a mosquito net, I spent three days trying to get the bees to stay in my makeshift hive, but they ultimately left!

Determined to learn more, I purchased the book "First Lessons in Beekeeping" and joined my local bee club, where I would later serve as President for two years. In 2014, while I was President, our local association hosted the Virginia State Beekeeping Association meeting.

Over the years, I have had many opportunities to share my passion for bees. As an employee of Lynchburg City Schools, I frequently introduced students to the fascinating world of bees. Dadant played a key role in helping me establish a startup display for this initiative. After receiving positive feedback from the schools, I submitted a grant called "The Pollinator" to enhance outreach by including all Lynchburg City Elementary Schools. 

In 2016, another successful outreach initiative emerged called "The Grace Project," later renamed "Pioneer Pollinators." This local student club, based at Heritage High School, took a trip to the state Capitol to show support for a legislative house bill that aimed to designate the honey bee as Virginia's state pollinator. While the bill did not pass that year, it eventually succeeded in 2024.

Numerous classrooms, events, parties, club meetings, and individuals have been introduced to bees through my educational presentations, and many have even had the thrilling experience of being surrounded by a bee swarm.

Throughout all this, I make time for swarm hunting.