A ground-breaking project to create a thriving business while boosting the bee population in Dundee has been shortlisted for a national award.
Claverhouse Honey is enjoying the sweet taste of success with nomination for the Community Resources Network Scotland award for innovation.
The project was launched by the Claverhouse Group last year and hopes to be able to market its first honey harvest this year.
Despite the harsh weather in December, the group’s hives have survived unscathed though their busy residents are not out of the woods yet, project leader Wendy Jackson said.
The Claverhouse hives have survived so well that the project has been able to move some of the bees to create a second apiary at a new location in the city.
Now, with the first hint of spring, the bees are starting to emerge from the hive but that can often be one of the most dangerous times of the year, Wendy said.
“This is the kind of critical period the danger zone when they start to venture out,” she said.
She warned that a warm spell followed by a return to winter could lead to heavy losses. Even so, she is optimistic the first batch of Claverhouse honey will hit the shelves this year.
However, the project has wider ambitions. The hives have been built at the Claverhouse training workshops, using recycled timber, and gardening trainees have been busy creating new habitats for the bees.
The eventual aim is to involve not just those within the Claverhouse group but to interest the wider public in bee-keeping. The winner will be announced at an awards dinner in Glasgow on March 23.