Beekeeper
Employer: Great Northern Honey Co.
Location: Waterford, CA
Workers needed: 3
Pay: $19.75/hour
Season: Jan 3, 2027 – Nov 1, 2027
Experience: 3 months
Employer-provided housing; Transportation provided/reimbursed
The job
Multiple contract dates available. Alternative start date(s) include: 01/03/2027 (1 workers); 03/10/2027 (2 workers). The exact start date and/or number of workers may vary based on weather, crop conditions or other factors.
Crops/Commodities:
honey and bees wax.
Primary duties (performed the majority of workdays):
Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Use power equipment including but not limited to: tractors, planters, mowers, plows, sprayers, cultivators, power shears, chain saws, high lifts, fork lifts, skid loaders. Must operate agricultural equipment safely, with or without direction. Apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other crop protectants. Mix and apply fertilizers, plant growth chemicals, conditioners, and other plant related treatments at the correct times depending on plant type, growth, climate and crop conditions. Assist with farm building/field maintenance and repairs.
Prepare bees and bee equipment for 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. Access colony to determine if food or medicine is needed. Feeding and medicate bees for diseases and pests. Maintain hives in healthy state. Raise and replace queens. Make divides. Make, paint and clean boxes. Harvest/extract honey. Run queen breeding yard and produce queen bees. Manipulate and service hive structures. Haul bees to and from different hive locations. Ensure healthy and productive honeybee colonies. Harmonize bees with their natural cycle. Raise bees to produce honey. Assemble hives using hand tools. Inserts honeycombs into hive. Induct wild swarming bees into prepared honeycomb frames. Place screen plug in hive entrance to confine bees. Set hive in orchard, clover field, or near other source of nectar and pollen. Force bees from hive using smoke pot or carbolic acid soaked pad. Inspect hive and to harvest honeycomb. Remove parasites and vermin. Collect royal jelly. Destroy superfluous queen bee cells to prevent colony division. Burn diseased hive or bee colony. Sterilize hive using caustic soda solution. Uncap harvested honeycombs and extracts honey. Find and remove old queens from hives and replace with new queen. Remove frames covered with bees and shake into cages.
Work is done in the field for long periods of time. Workers may assist in handling product weighing up to 80 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet. Workers must work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Work required in fields when plants are wet with dew and rain, and may be required during light rain, snow, moderate winds, direct sun, high humidity and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours can range from 10 to over 100 degrees F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honey bees, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or related chemicals may affect a worker's ability to perform the job. Workers should be able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations.
Must wear assigned personal protective equipment when required. Must report for work daily wearing work clothing and boots or other durable foot wear. Shorts, bathing suits or other casual clothing not permitted. Workers wearing clothing inappropriate for work will not be permitted to start work.
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.
Housing: Rental or public accommodations
Meals: Some employer-provided housing units include free and convenient kitchen facilities. For housing units without kitchen facilities (or in circumstances in which kitchen facilities become unavailable during the contract period), employer provides three daily meals in accordance with 20 CFR 655.122(g). Employer will deduct the cost of such meals up to the maximum allowable published in the Federal Register, or as otherwise approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. 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 shared by all workers.
Transport: Employer pays/reimburses foreign workers for all visa-related costs (excluding passport fees) in the first workweek. Workers responsible for securing inbound transportation arrangements. For non-local workers, employer reimburses reasonable travel costs (transportation, daily subsistence, and lodging if applicable), at least-cost economy-class rates, from the place worker departed to the employer’s place of employment.
Experience wanted: 3 months
This job requires a minimum of 3 months of agricultural experience working in a honeybee farm handling both manual and mechanized tasks associated with production of honey. Workers must be able to perform manual and mechanized tasks with accuracy and efficiency. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 80 lbs. Employer-paid pre-employment and post-hire drug testing required. Criminal background check required. Clean driving record required. Must have or be able to obtain driver's license within 30 days of hire.
How to apply is shown to members. Create a free account — your first application is free, and no legitimate H-2A employer may charge you a placement fee.