Gallery
P.O. Box 5053
Williamsburg, VA 23185
3000 Ironbound Rd,
P.O. Box 5053
Williamsburg, VA 23185
Tom Thorpe is a first-year beekeeper who joined the Williamsburg Area Beekeepers (WAB) in November 2024. Originally from Portsmouth Virginia, Tom served in the Air Force for 23 years as an Imagery Intelligence analyst, retired after 16 years of Federal service in 2022 and is currently working as a contractor at Langley Air Force Base. Tom and his wife Robin relocated from Warrenton VA to Gloucester and finally to Lanexa Virginia where they are raising dogs; Gunner, Diesel, Poppy and Tucker. Tom is learning beekeeping practices as a hobby with two hives and worries most about small hive beetles, varroa mites, and not doing anything to kill his bees.
Patty Robbins McCoy
Patty is co-owner of Bodhi Bee Farms LLC with her husband Scott and involved in Beekeeping since 2016 and an active member of Williamsburg Area Beekeepers Assoc. for the last 5 yrs. Her passions are Herbalism, medicine making, gardening and Creating Art and supporting friends and family with energy healing.
Dr. Austin Ivans – President, Williamsburg Area Beekeepers Association
Austin Ivans brings nearly a decade of interest in beekeeping, pollinator conservation, and ecological stewardship to his role as President of the Williamsburg Area Beekeepers Association. Although preparing for his first hive, Austin’s passion was shaped early in California’s Central Valley, where he saw firsthand how essential honey bees are to agriculture and healthy ecosystems.
A lifelong plant enthusiast and avid gardener, Austin has always been drawn to the interconnectedness between pollinators and the landscapes they sustain. This appreciation fuels his commitment to supporting local beekeepers and strengthening the health of Williamsburg’s bee populations.
Austin completed WABA’s Basic Beekeepers Course in October and continues to pursue ongoing education. Outside the association, he owns The Hive Chiropractic, where he applies the same collaborative, community-centered “hive philosophy” he admires in beekeeping. He brings this mindset to WABA, viewing the association itself as a hive he is honored to serve and help guide.
Scott McCoy has been a beekeeper since the spring of 2016. After having attended the 12-hour/3-day course Beekeeper’s Introductory course presented by the Beekeepers Guild of Southeast Virginia in Virginia Beach. Since that time, Scott (with the help of his wife and friends) has continued to manage and raise Honeybees with up to 97 colonies. Scott and his wife Patty, relocated to Williamsburg in 2019 from Chesapeake, with 7 hives, and have been active members of the Williamsburg Area Beekeepers Association since that time. Scott has served as Vice President and President of the club and supports the club’s training for new beekeepers by volunteering as one of the club’s training coordinators, teaching Beekeeping 101. In 2020 Scott and his wife founded a local sideline beekeeping business (Bodhi Bee Farms LLC). Headquartered in Williamsburg, it recently opened a beekeeping operations center in Lenexa. They operate at local festivals and vendor markets in the Virginia Tidewater area, with a local presence in the greater Williamsburg area.