Beekeeper
Employer: Q & H Honey Farm, LLC
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Workers needed: 5
Pay: $20.00/hour
Season: Jan 1, 2027 – Oct 31, 2027
Experience: 3 months
Employer-provided housing; Transportation provided/reimbursed
The job
Crops/Commodities:
beekeeping.
Primary duties (performed the majority of workdays):
Prepare bees and bee equipment for pollination. 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 accessing 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. Harvest/extract honey. 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. General maintenance and servicing of equipment and facility.
A clean driving record (no major moving violations such as but not limited to Driving While Intoxicated or Reckless Driving) is required to drive company vehicles. Must have or be able to obtain U.S. driver's license within 30 days following hire.
Employer-paid post-hire drug testing is required upon reasonable suspicion of use and after a worker has an accident at work.
Work is to be done in the field for long periods of time. Workers are expected to perform duties including boxing, weighing and loading of product. Workers may assist in loading trucks with product weighing up to 75 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 & 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, working in fields. Temperatures may range from 10 to 110 F. Must be able to work in excessive humidity. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Workers should be physically able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations.
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).
Supervisor(s) will provide instructions and directions to workers. Workers must be able to comprehend and follow instructions and communicate effectively to supervisors. Unusual, complex or non-routine activities will be supervised. Workers expected to perform basic duties in a proficient manner without close supervision.
Persons seeking employment as experienced Beekeeper must be available for the entire period requested by the employer.
An applicant for this job must be available to work for the entire itinerary. An applicant referred to the employer after the labor certification has been granted, but before 50 percent of the work contract period for the entire itinerary has elapsed, must be available and willing to join the employer at whatever place the employer is located at the time and remain with the employer for the duration of the beekeeping itinerary.
Job opportunity is Skill Level II. Workers must be able to perform all primary duties independently and without close supervision.
Workers must be available at the time and place needed. Applicants hired after the start date(s), but before the recruitment period has elapsed, must be available and willing to join the employer at the itinerary location at which the employer is located at the time of hire.
Housing: Employer-provided (including mobile or range)
Meals: Employer does not provide meals. Employer-provided housing includes free and convenient kitchen facilities with appropriate equipment, appliances, cooking accessories, and dishwashing facilities for meal preparation. For workers residing in employer-provided housing, employer also provides free transportation once per week to/from closest town or city for personal errands (e.g., groceries, banking services). Dining, kitchen/cooking facilities and other common areas are shared by all workers. In the event that kitchen facilities become unavailable during the contract period, employer will provide three daily meals in accordance with 20 CFR 655.122(g). In such circumstances, employer will deduct the cost of such meals up to the maximum allowable amount published in the Federal Register, or as otherwise approved by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Transport: Employer pays/reimburses foreign workers for all visa-related costs (excluding passport fees) in the first workweek. For non-local workers, employer arranges/provides inbound transportation via common carrier mode of transportation (e.g., bus or plane) and reimburses workers for daily subsistence and reasonable lodging costs, if applicable. Use of employer-offered transportation is voluntary. Employer arranges/provides outbound travel via common carrier mode of transportation (e.g.
Experience wanted: 3 months
This job requires a minimum of three months of verifiable proof of prior experience working on migrant honeybee farms in multiple states handling both manual and machine tasks associated with beekeeping. Applicants must be able to furnish job reference(s) from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 75 lbs. Workers need to have no fear of bees and be non-allergic to bee stings, pollen, honey or other products of the hive. Must be able to work in excessive humidity and heat up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Clean driving record required in order to drive company vehicles. Must have or be able to obtain U.S. drivers license within 30 days following hire. Employer-paid post-hire upon suspicion and post-accident drug testing required.
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