What started as a Christmas gift has grown into a passion and a budding business. At just 14, Rylan isn’t your average beekeeper. The home-educated Greenbrier Valley student began keeping bees at age 11. Now, only three years later, he is an Apprentice Beekeeper, having passed his West Virginia Beekeepers Association exam in 2024, and is steadily working his way toward becoming a Master Beekeeper.

Rylan doesn’t stop there. He keeps up with some of the largest beekeeping associations and experts, attending conferences in Louisville, Kentucky, and events across the state, including the recent Bee Fair at the West Virginia State Fairgrounds. Today, he manages more than 40 colonies across three apiaries under his growing business, Little Creek Bee Company. He’s backed by his family: his father, Ben, his mother, Leann, and younger brother, Henley.

Ben explains, “A lot of people see me, because we drive him here and there, but I always like to share that I might help him sell some of his products because I’m with him, but he is the one that gets in the bees and does all the work and collects the honey. His mom helps him with the labeling. He needs to feel that we’re behind him and we’re there to help him.”

Rylan’s interest began with YouTube videos of beekeepers, and his passion quickly grew. His parents gave him his first hive for Christmas when he was 11, and he got his first bees from a local gentleman the following spring.

His integrity showed even then. When he offered to pay the man for the bees, the gentleman, wanting to encourage him, told Rylan he could repay him later with half of a hive. Rylan didn’t forget. As soon as he was able to split his hive, he repaid the man’s kindness. That hive thrived the following summer.

Rylan is also a member of the Southeastern Beekeepers Association. He and his family are quick to acknowledge the role community has played in his success. “There have been so many people God’s put in his path, and mine, just to help him get started,” Ben reflects. “There’s absolutely no way that we could have afforded to get him to where he’s at now, just because of the sheer cost of products and equipment. Rylan’s worked his way there, and God has put people in his path that have enabled him to get something within reason, or allowed him to pay them later for something back when he first started selling honey. It really is incredible.”

Today, Rylan sells three sizes of honey, cast iron seasoning, a wide selection of lip balms (with seasonal flavors), and whipped honey, which, according to local fans, is delicious not only on toast and bagels but also stirred into lattes and hot tea.

Local businesses have started carrying his products, and fairs and festivals are inviting him to sell, including the recent Appalachian Freshwater Folk Festival in White Sulphur Springs. Up next, you can find Rylan and his honey products at the Fall Fling hosted by the Dough Ball Bakery in Gap Mills on October 11.

To learn more about Rylan’s beekeeping journey or to purchase products, visit the Little Creek Bee Company Facebook page, email littlecreekbeecompany@gmail.com, or contact Ben at 304-661-1731.

When asked what stands out most, Ben doesn’t hesitate: community support. “We are so appreciative as a family of how many people reach out and support him, whether it’s through buying a product or sharing a post about him. We are so appreciative of everybody God put in his path. The people along the road we’ve found to help and encourage him, and the beekeeping community…they love seeing somebody so young doing this, and they’ve just welcomed him with open arms. That encourages him so much.”

Ben adds, “The community we’ve found is so supportive. They encourage each other and talk and have fun along the way. Small businesses have really given him a chance and given him a lot of good feedback, and they’ve come back and bought more. There’s been a lot of incredible people, and I’m sure that isn’t anywhere close to ending.”

Editor’s Note: Just before this issue went to press, we learned that Rylan was selected to receive a sponsorship for the Next Gen Bee Program at the North American Honey Bee Expo in Louisville, Kentucky, this coming January. The three-day experience at the largest bee expo on the East Coast will give him the chance to attend special classes for young beekeepers and meet many of the experts he follows on social media. A big congratulations to Rylan! Your community is cheering you on.