Ross Main, a fine art graduate from Fife, Scotland, stumbled upon abandoned beehives that his grandfather had left in an old quarry near Innerwick in East Lothian. The site was overgrown with gorse, but Ross’s curiosity led him to test his luck. To his surprise, he found that the beehives were still there, untouched since his grandfather’s death. Ross then took up beekeeping and moved colonies to Fife from the site in Innerwick.
Ross’s late grandfather, William Main, used to sell honey to butcher shops in East Lothian. As of now, Ross has around 90 to 100 colonies of bees, totaling approximately five million bees across Fife. The colonies were all taken from the original hive that belonged to his grandfather. According to Ross, the colony grew so much that it broke in two, but the original colony stayed within the hive.
Ross has set up his business, Mains Aperies, selling honey to local farm shops from three harvests a year. He has begun offering beekeeping experiences for locals who want to understand honey production. Ross has also sold beehives to businesses in Edinburgh and Fife to teach staff the art of beekeeping. One of the businesses, disability firm Motability Operations, has six hives for its staff. Ross manages their 300,000 bees weekly and teaches them about beekeeping over lunch.
At Motability Operations, attitude towards bees has changed; workplace coordinator Dorota Opara was initially fearful of bees, but she now visits them daily to check on their well-being. Ross harvests the honey and hands jars of it to the staff. The honey jars are a hit with the staff, and according to Dorota, “How many offices can say they have beehives and learn how to become a beekeeper? It’s magical.
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