Beekeeper

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
beekeeping.
This job requires a minimum of three months of verifiable prior experience working on a honeybee farm handling both manual and machine tasks associated with beekeeping. Worker must be familiar with working with bees in all stages, from the egg through fully developed workers, drones and queens; must work all aspects of commercial bee keeping, including assessing a colony to determine if it needs food or medicine, feeding and medicating bees, maintaining hives in a healthy state, increasing number of hives, raising and replacing queens, making divides, making, painting and cleaning boxes, supering hives. Run queen breeding yard and produce queen bees. Manipulate and service hive structures and haul bees to and from different hive locations to ensure healthy and productive honeybee colonies. Must respond correctly to bees to harmonize with their natural cycle and keep them in the healthiest state possible for survival and profitability. Assemble frames and build, paint and repair honey boxes. Load, unload and move bees/boxes. Extract honey and process honey beeswax. Prepare hives for pollination. Perform general maintenance of equipment and facility.

Work is to be done for long periods of time. Workers may assist in loading trucks with product weighing up to and including 60 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet. Workers should be able to work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, insect spray, related chemicals, etc. may affect workers' ability to perform the job. Workers need to have no fear of bees and be non-allergic to bee stings, pollen, honey or other products of the hive. Workers are exposed to wet weather early in the morning through the heat of the day. Temperatures may range from 10 to 110 F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop operations. Workers should be physically able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations. Saturday work required.

Employer requires all newly-hired employees to take and pass an employer-paid drug test before starting work. Drug test not required for prospective applicants prior to hiring decision. All testing is conducted uniformly after an initial job offer has been extended and accepted by the new hire. Workers testing positive will be immediately terminated and paid for all hours worked between the first date of employment and the date of termination, if any. In the case of a non-local or foreign worker who is terminated for failure to pass a drug test, the employer will arrange least-cost transportation to the worker's place of recruitment, at the worker's expense. The employer will also test upon reasonable suspicion of use.

Clean driving record required. Must have or be able to obtain driver's license within 30 days following hire. Workers with appropriate licenses and a valid doctor's certificate may be asked to drive other workers.

Employer assures that workers will be provided transportation from living quarters to work site every day (for workers who must be provided housing under the applicable regulations).

Persons seeking employment as experienced Beekeeper must be available for the entire period requested by the employer. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. Successful applicants will be subject to a trial period of up to 5 days during which their performance of required tasks will be evaluated. If the performance during the trial period is not acceptable to the employer the worker‘s employment will be terminated.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three months of verifiable prior experience working on a honeybee farm handling both manual and machine tasks associated with beekeeping. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Workers must have no fear of bees and be non-allergic to bee stings, pollen, honey or other products of the hive. Clean driving record required. Must have or be able to obtain drivers license within 30 days following hire. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing is required upon hire and upon reasonable suspicion of use.