Beekeeper

Job description

Multiple contract dates available. Alternative start date(s) include: 04/24/2026 (3 workers). The exact start date and/or number of workers may vary based on weather, crop conditions or other factors.

Crops/Commodities: apples, honey, berries, figs, and tree nuts.
Primary duties (performed the majority of workdays): Perform manual and mechanical duties related to commercial beekeeping and honey production. Must be familiar with working with bees in all stages, from egg through mature workers, drones and queens. Must work all aspects of beekeeping.

Make, paint and clean boxes. Assemble hives using hand tools. Inserts honeycombs into hive. Access colony to determine if food or medicine is needed. Feed and medicate bees for diseases, parasites, and pests. Sterilize hive and burn diseased hive or bee colony.

Run queen breeding yard. Raise and replace queens. Make divides. Prepare bees and bee equipment for pollination.

Harvest/extract honey. Collect royal jelly. Uncap harvested honeycombs and extracts honey. Remove frames covered with bees and shake into cages. Manipulate and service hive structures. Haul bees to and from different hive locations.

Must have no fear of bees and be non-allergic to bee stings, pollen, honey or other products of the hive.

Perform mechanized extraction. Must be familiar with mechanized extraction equipment. Cap and handle combs. Mechanically separate wax from honey. Maintain extraction equipment. Assist with refining wax and processing honey. Prepare honey by filtration and/or moisture reduction before final packaging. Blend and filter wax before final packaging for sale.

Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Install and remove levee gates.
Prepare fields/soil for planting. Remove cull stock, debris, tree stumps, brush, ferns, vines and other growth from planting area using hand tools or mechanized equipment (rakes, shovels, hoes, tractors, mattocks, brush hooks and/or axes). Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery to plow and till land for agricultural use.
Plant/pot seedlings or ‘liners' by hand or mechanical planter. Propagate plants from cuttings. Prepare trees for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary. Hand dig trees and other plants with shovel or tree spade. Perform general plant maintenance.
Plant, cultivate, and harvest tree fruit.
Tree and Bush Training: hoeing, tree painting, weed mat application, pest/rodent eradication. Tie/position trees, bushes, and limbs, together and to trellises, using string, tape, wire or other fasteners and supports.
Thinning: Hand thin to control the size and quality of fruit or nuts. Remove fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within a cluster of other fruits. Must accurately identify and remove misshapen, damaged or otherwise unmarketable fruit.
Pruning: Hand pruning based on fruit variety. Use manual and mechanized pruning tools and equipment. Identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward-growing branches, branches rubbing against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood and shoots-suckers.
Harvest tree fruits and berries: Spot and/or strip pick fruit based on seasonal need. Snap fruit off tree with thumb and palm of hand to avoid stem pulls, punctures, bruising, or other damage. Pick culls and peelers. Fill fruit buckets and place fruit in bins. Follow supervisor/foreman's instructions on color/size requirements. Must be able to differentiate between colors and fruit varieties accurately.

Apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other crop protectants. Apply fertilizers, plant growth chemicals, conditioners, and other plant related treatments at the correct times depending on plant type, growth, climate and crop conditions. Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of 3 months of verifiable agricultural experience working in a honeybee farm or orchard handling manual tasks including agricultural field work, beekeeping and harvesting activities associated with production of apples and honey. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing required. Criminal background check required. Workers with clean driving record and/or insurable driver's license may be required to drive company vehicles.