Empty frames transform into rows of hexagonal cells filled with glistening nectar. Mr. Kevin Tryon carefully opens the hatch of one of his twelve beehives and watches in amazement as honeybees work tirelessly in their homes. He had just finished teaching his last period history class and drove straight home, in time to inspect his hives before dark.
For Mr. Tryon, beekeeping is not just a hobby: it is a passion that connects him to nature and the fascinating world of bees.
Mr. Tryon heard the buzz of bees from a young age.
“My father had hives for a number of years when I was a teenager, so I was interested to a degree because of those hives,” Mr. Tryon said. “I had a paper route as a kid, and when I finished my paper route, I would cut through our backyard, and I would walk by those hives every day.”
Still, he would not have his own hives until much later in his life. After playing collegiate soccer for Franklin and Marshall College, Mr. Tryon started a career in teaching.
“My wife and I taught at Westtown School and lived on campus. Once we moved off campus and bought a house, I started beekeeping,” Mr. Tryon said.
What started as a hobby has now turned into a deep commitment. “Right now, I probably spend about nine hours a week on my hives,” Mr. Tryon said.
During the springtime, beekeepers must keep a close eye on their hives to ensure the bees have ample space to store honey and brood.
“March, April, and May are the busy seasons. I have to make splits and check each hive once per week,” Mr. Tryon said. “Once [Commencement] happens in the middle of June, things kind of just ramp down. It gets a lot easier with infrequent inspections and extractions.”
For Mr. Tryon, this major time commitment is not a burden, but rather a joyful, fulfilling endeavor. He finds beekeeping especially relaxing and amusing.
“I think in some ways that the bees are very cute. When all their heads are peeking up over the bar when you are inspecting and you see the line of bees looking over at you, it always cracks me up,” Mr. Tryon said.
Mr. Tryon’s passion for beekeeping goes beyond his own backyard. He actively involves students and faculty at school, where he mentors the Beekeeping Club, hosts honey extracting workshops, and helps new beekeepers start their own hives.
Unbeknownst to many students, Mr. Tryon has two beehives located just behind Wilson Hall, where he takes students to do routine hive inspections.
Sixth Former James Gates, who has attended Beekeeping Club meetings, shared his beekeeping experiences with his family. “Getting to see the bees was kind of cool, and I told my dad about it,” Gates said. “I told him that he should start a beehive, and he was like… you know what? I should do that. Now he has two beehives and his bees are happy.”
Every year on IC day, Mr. Tryon also holds a honey-extracting activity, where he first gives an introductory lesson on bees and then allows students to extract fresh honey from his frames.
Fifth Former Milan Varma, who attended Mr. Tryon’s IC Day activity last year, had a great experience.
“Mr. Tryon has taught me about bees in ways that I did not think was possible. I learned a lot about bees and got to extract honey, which taught me a lot about the process,” Varma said.
One of Mr. Tryon’s favorite parts of his hive inspections is the connection he shares with the bees. “I frequently go in without gloves on, and I will have a bee right on my finger, and she is just checking me out,” Mr. Tryon said. “It is in some way that gentleness [that motivates me to continue beekeeping].”
Honey is just one of the many reasons why Mr. Tryon enjoys beekeeping. “It is also taking care of another creature, and I think I have always done that in my life, whether it is aquariums, or cats, or bees,” Mr. Tryon said.
Mr. Tryon has a special connection with nature, especially animals. “It is like that weird form of husbandry that you’re taking care of something else. I have always liked that,” Mr. Tryon said. “And then it is just the fascination and learning more about a very well-studied insect.”
