Bee Health Specialist

Job description

Bee Health Specialist will perform the following duties:
• Monitor Hive Health: Conduct regular inspections of hives to assess overall health, identify signs of disease or parasites (such as mites or viruses), and determine treatment needs.
• Treat Diseases and Parasites: Administer appropriate treatments to combat mite infestations, diseases, and other health challenges while following best practices and maintaining hive productivity.
• Queen Management: Identify, and replace queen bees to maintain strong colonies. Destroy excess queen cells to prevent unwanted colony division and promote hive stability.
• Honey Production: Super hives to maximize honey production, collect honey from the field, extract it safely, and store it in barrels for distribution or sale
• Feed and Maintain Bees: Provide supplemental feeding during lean seasons, ensuring colonies remain healthy and productive throughout the year.
• Colony Management: Split colonies when necessary to prevent overcrowding and ensure healthy hive expansion. Replace frames and maintain hives to meet operational needs.
• Hive Maintenance: Assemble, clean, and repair beehives to meet operational requirements. Ensure hives are properly supered and equipped for production.
• Documentation and Record-Keeping: Maintain detailed records of hive health, medication administration, and honey yields. Use data to guide hive management decisions.
• Safety Practices: Safely handle bees using tools such as smokers ensuring minimal disruption to hives during inspections and honey collection.

Special Responsibilities:
Bee Health Specialists must have an in-depth understanding of the connection between hive health and honey production. Specialists are expected to maintain a high level of organization, precision, and time management in all tasks.

• In certain periods, Bee Health Specialists will transport bees to designated fields, monitor their performance, and address environmental factors that could impact hive health.
• Bee Health Specialists are responsible for recognizing the urgency of maintaining hive health, especially when dealing with disease outbreaks or adverse environmental conditions.

Special Requirements

Minimum Job Qualifications:
Class C and or A/B license is not required, but the company strongly encourages the workers to obtain it within 30 days of employment.
If the workers possess a Class C and or A/B license, it must be in good standing, and immediately communicate the company if changes to the status of your license occur.
Provide authorization for the release of driving records.
Follow all traffic laws and applicable vanpool rules.
Ability to safely work around bees.
Keep up to date with all required safety trainings.
Be reliable, punctual, and available at odd hours, while having versatility, flexibility, and a willingness to work within constantly changing season priorities.
Demonstrate respectful behavior and positive interpersonal skills with all employees.
Ability to wear applicable personal protective equipment (PPE) including chemical resistant gloves and boots, safety glasses, bee suit/jacket, and head veil.