Beekeeper finds grandfather's lost hives alive in quarry and creates honey firm
A beekeeper found his grandfather's long lost hives abandoned and thriving in a quarry - and turned them into a colony of millions.
Ross Main, 36, grew up with granddad William Main, a beekeeper and gamekeeper, regularly taking him to check up on his bees.
William passed away from cancer in 2007 aged 77 - with Ross assuming his hives had been sold on.
After the birth of his own son in 2015 Ross was inspired to try and find them.
He travelled from his home in Fife in Scotland to the East Lothian quarry where his granddad had kept his.
Ross was stunned to discover an original hive still filled with an active colony - which had taken care of itself for years.
The hive was hundreds of metres down an old track which was overgrown with gorse.
Ross then began to teach himself beekeeping - collecting the bees from his grandfather's original hive.
It was dilapidated so Ross got hold of a beekeeping suit and a beehive and learned how to transfer the colony to their new home.
He then grew them into a population of five million bees split into around 100 colonies - all descended from William's bees.
Ross' business Main’s Apiaries now sells honey to farm shops from three harvests a year.
Ross Main, 36, grew up with granddad William Main, a beekeeper and gamekeeper, regularly taking him to check up on his bees.
William passed away from cancer in 2007 aged 77 - with Ross assuming his hives had been sold on.
After the birth of his own son in 2015 Ross was inspired to try and find them.
He travelled from his home in Fife in Scotland to the East Lothian quarry where his granddad had kept his.
Ross was stunned to discover an original hive still filled with an active colony - which had taken care of itself for years.
The hive was hundreds of metres down an old track which was overgrown with gorse.
Ross then began to teach himself beekeeping - collecting the bees from his grandfather's original hive.
It was dilapidated so Ross got hold of a beekeeping suit and a beehive and learned how to transfer the colony to their new home.
He then grew them into a population of five million bees split into around 100 colonies - all descended from William's bees.
Ross' business Main’s Apiaries now sells honey to farm shops from three harvests a year.
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