Stephen Taber III
Encyclopedia
Stephen Taber III. was an American
apiologist, noted authority and author in the field of artificial insemination of queen bees for the purpose of developing disease resistant and gentle bee colonies.
researcher. He was born on April 17, 1924, to Dr. Stephen Taber II and Bessie Ray Taber of Columbia, S.C. His father was the South Carolina State Geologist from 1912 to 1947 and the head of the Department of Geology at the University of South Carolina
, where he was involved in the engineering of the Santee Cooper
Dam among many other projects.
in Columbia as his research yard. Steve's first commercial beekeeping experience was in 1941 in upstate New York
where he worked one summer making $30 a month. He continued working in NY and later Wisconsin
where he claimed to have learned much of the basics of beekeeping
.
. After the Navy, Steve attended the University of Wisconsin. In 1950, he graduated from the University of WI in Madison, with a Bachelor of Science, specializing in Bee Research under the tutelage of Professor C.L. Farrar.
. It was during this time that Steve pioneered the use of instrumental (artificial) insemination, undertaking some of the first seminal and biochemical investigations carried out with invertebrate spermatozoa.
After 15 years in Baton Rouge, he was transferred to the USDA Bee Research Center in Tucson, Ariz., where, in his words, "he was his own instructor." Steve traveled extensively teaching, lecturing, and researching.
Steve retired from the USDA and moved to Vacaville, CA where in cooperation with Tom Parisian, he founded the company known as "Taber's Honey Bee Genetics" in 1978. Steve later moved to southern France before returning in recent years to his home state of South Carolina. He enjoyed international prestige as a bee researcher and queen breeder and spoke at beekeepers' conventions across Europe. Steve continued his queen rearing and research work on a limited basis, although he continued to be a prolific writer until shortly before his death in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
apiologist, noted authority and author in the field of artificial insemination of queen bees for the purpose of developing disease resistant and gentle bee colonies.
Biography
Mr. Stephen Taber III, was a world-recognized honey beeHoney bee
Honey bees are a subset of bees in the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests out of wax. Honey bees are the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis...
researcher. He was born on April 17, 1924, to Dr. Stephen Taber II and Bessie Ray Taber of Columbia, S.C. His father was the South Carolina State Geologist from 1912 to 1947 and the head of the Department of Geology at the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, where he was involved in the engineering of the Santee Cooper
Santee Cooper
Santee Cooper, also known officially from the 1930s as the South Carolina Public Service Authority, is South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility that came into being during the New Deal as both a rural electrification and public works project that created two lakes and cleared large...
Dam among many other projects.
Early years
Steve became interested in bees at an early age, using the banks of the Broad RiverBroad River (Carolinas)
The Broad River is a principal tributary of the Congaree River, about 150 miles long, in western North Carolina and northern South Carolina in the United States. Via the Congaree, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean...
in Columbia as his research yard. Steve's first commercial beekeeping experience was in 1941 in upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he worked one summer making $30 a month. He continued working in NY and later Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
where he claimed to have learned much of the basics of beekeeping
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...
.
Navy / WWII years
He graduated from University High School in Columbia, SC in 1942 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Cadet in October that same year. While serving in the Navy, he taught beekeeping as a sideline job at several local universities. Steve was later honorably discharged from the Navy in September 1945 after the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the Navy, Steve attended the University of Wisconsin. In 1950, he graduated from the University of WI in Madison, with a Bachelor of Science, specializing in Bee Research under the tutelage of Professor C.L. Farrar.
USDA years
His first position was with the Entomology Research Division of USDA as an assistant to Dr. O. Mackenson in Baton Rouge, La. This is where he met his longtime friend Murray S. BlumMurray S. Blum
Murray S. Blum is an American research entomologist and a noted authority in the field of chemical ecology.- Early life and education :Born in 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Blum grew up in that city and in Chicago, Illinois. He earned his Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Illinois....
. It was during this time that Steve pioneered the use of instrumental (artificial) insemination, undertaking some of the first seminal and biochemical investigations carried out with invertebrate spermatozoa.
After 15 years in Baton Rouge, he was transferred to the USDA Bee Research Center in Tucson, Ariz., where, in his words, "he was his own instructor." Steve traveled extensively teaching, lecturing, and researching.
Steve retired from the USDA and moved to Vacaville, CA where in cooperation with Tom Parisian, he founded the company known as "Taber's Honey Bee Genetics" in 1978. Steve later moved to southern France before returning in recent years to his home state of South Carolina. He enjoyed international prestige as a bee researcher and queen breeder and spoke at beekeepers' conventions across Europe. Steve continued his queen rearing and research work on a limited basis, although he continued to be a prolific writer until shortly before his death in 2008.