General Yardworkers

Job description

This is a non-beekeeping role. This position does not involve beekeeping duties such as managing colony health, hive inspections, splitting hives, monitoring for mites and bee health issues, pollinating, queen rearing, re-queening, etc.

General yard workers will prepare for the following season. Position involves general, low skilled farm and equipment maintenance including prepping, painting, coating with wax, assembling, and maintaining woodenware/hive equipment.
Assist in dismantling apiaries and collecting bee equipment from production yards which are no longer being used during our non-production season.
Organize, clean, stack, and palletize bee boxes and other equipment. Forklift operation for loading/unloading trucks and storing equipment. Assist in transporting hives and bee equipment between production yards and off-season locations. Truck cleaning and unskilled upkeep. Mixing bee feed such as sugar syrup, pollen substitute, etc. for upcoming season.
Access road maintenance and upkeep. Maintaining yard infrastructure, tree trimming, weed spraying, clearing brush, weed whacking, debris removal. Pest control: ants, roaches, mice, etc. Organizing and cleaning work sites, collecting broken equipment, rubbish, general work site cleaning. Incidental off-season honey processing and bottling, along with annual deep cleaning of the honey house and extraction equipment.
Assist in assembling apiaries, placing/stacking bee equipment into various outyards, and other general supporting tasks associated with setting up apiaries for the upcoming production season.
Employees with valid driver’s licenses who live at company-provided housing may drive themselves and other employees in company vehicles from the housing to the worksite or grocery store.

Special Requirements

2 months of experience in general yard maintenance such as brush removal, weed whacking, use of chainsaws, general cleanup and equipment assembly (box assembly, etc.) is required. Specific requirements include lifting up to 50 pounds frequently and able to use hand tools, including cutting knives. Although this is a non-beekeeping role, workers will perform duties near bees and may be stung.

Must be able to work under conditions where skin and clothing become heavily soiled with mud, water, grease, etc. Must be able to work outdoors in inclement weather conditions, including rain, cold, high winds, etc. Work involves frequent bending and working in bent or stooped positions. Must be able to walk and stand up extensively.