BBCWhen Ross Fundamental tracked down the deserted beehives his grandfather had saved in a disused quarry, he was stunned to search out that the bees had been nonetheless there.
The nice artwork graduate now manages dozens of colonies and thousands and thousands of bees throughout Fife – and they’re all descended from his grandfather’s hive.
Ross grew up in Dunbar and was usually taken to the East Lothian quarry close to Innerwick throughout his childhood.
When he turned a father for the primary time in 2015, he was impressed to attempt to discover the previous hives.
He thought his household had bought them off a number of years earlier, so didn’t anticipate finding a lot.
Ross, 36, drove from his dwelling in Fife and tracked down the placement, lots of of metres down an previous monitor which was overgrown with gorse.
Ross Fundamental“I made my method by way of and there was nonetheless a hive there, ” he informed BBC Scotland Information.
“I could not imagine the bees had nonetheless survived.”
The hive had been untouched since his grandfather, William Fundamental, died of most cancers in 2007, aged 77.
It was dilapidated, so Ross obtained maintain of a beekeeping swimsuit and a beehive and realized easy methods to switch the colony to their new dwelling.
As soon as the switch was made, which takes a few month, he was capable of transfer the colony of their new hive to a brand new dwelling in Auchtermuchty, Fife.
The next yr his colony began to multiply and simply as half of it was swarming he managed to catch it in a second hive.
“They multiply every year. Once they get too huge they go and begin a colony someplace else,” the father-of-two stated.
“However the authentic colony will keep throughout the hive.”
Now he has between 90 and 100 colonies all taken from splits from his late grandfather’s hive.
On the peak of summer time there are about 50,000 bees inside one colony.
He has arrange a enterprise, Mains Aperies, and has 5 million bees on websites throughout Fife promoting honey to native farm outlets from three harvests a yr.
However he stated: “You may’t actually have a enterprise simply promoting honey as a result of you may have unhealthy years.”
So a few years in the past he began up beekeeping experiences for locals to get an perception into honey manufacturing.
And he has bought among the hives to companies in Edinburgh and Fife so workers can discover ways to grow to be beekeepers.
One of many companies, incapacity agency Motability Operations on the Gyle in Edinburgh, now has six hives for his or her workers.
Ross manages their 300,000 bees weekly and teaches them about beekeeping of their lunchbreaks.
Dorota Opara, office co-ordinator, stated she picked up a worry of bees whereas rising up in Krakow in Poland.
“When my colleague urged now we have bees on web site, I used to be very cautious and requested if we must contact them,” she stated.
Nevertheless, she was ultimately persuaded to placed on a swimsuit to check out the hives.
The 42-year-old stated: “The shaggy dog story is I had a costume on and flip flops. After we had been on the beehives I might really feel bees going between my toes and I used to be frightened and I stated I do not know if I can do it.
“However Ross informed me they’re honey bees they won’t sting you till you do loopy motion and he was proper and since then I am so in love with the bees.
“Having bees within the backyard is one factor however having that sort of reference to Ross who can come and clarify to you the way every little thing works is a special expertise.
Dorota stated: “What number of places of work can say they’ve beehives and discover ways to grow to be a beekeeper? It is magical.”
She now visits the bees each couple of days to verify on them.
Ross harvests the honey and provides the jars to the workers.
“The workers completely love having the bees,” she added.
