Beekeeper

Beekeeper at Hollmann Apiaries in Dante, SD.

Crops/Commodities: Bees. Primary duties (performed the majority of workdays): Perform manual and mechanical duties related to commercial beekeeping and 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.

Make, paint and clean boxes, lids, frames and pallets. Assemble hives using hand tools. Inserts honeycombs into hive. Access colony to determine if food or medicine is needed. Feed and medicate bees for diseases, parasites, mites and pests. Sterilize hive and burn diseased hive or bee colony. Maintaining hives in a healthy state and increasing number of hives.

Work in queen breeding yard. Raise and replace queens. Make divides. Prepare bees and bee equipment for pollination.

Harvest/extract honey. Manipulate and service hive structures. Haul bees to and from different hive locations. Must respond correctly to bees to harmonize with their natural cycle and keep them in the healthiest state possible for survival and profitability.

Must have no fear of bees and be non-allergic to bee stings, pollen, honey or other products of the hive.

Perform mechanized extraction. Must be familiar with mechanized extraction equipment. Cap and handle combs. Mechanically separate wax from honey. Maintain extraction equipment. Assist with refining wax and processing honey. Prepare honey by filtration and/or moisture reduction before final packaging. Blend and filter wax before final packaging for sale.

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, forklifts and skid loaders. Must operate agricultural equipment safely, with or without direction. Assist with general farm/field maintenance and repairs. Repair fences.

Must wear assigned personal protective equipment when required. Must report for work daily wearing work clothing and boots or other durable foot wear. Workers wearing clothing inappropriate for work will not be permitted to start work.

Outdoor work required when plants are wet, or during light rain, snow, moderate winds, direct sun, high humidity and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours may vary. 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. Work is done outdoors for long periods of time and requires prolonged periods of standing and/or walking, repetitive movements, and frequent bending and/or stooping. Workers must be able to handle, lift, and carry heavy or bulky objects (product, containers) in accordance with the specified lifting requirements.

Employer-paid post-hire random, upon suspicion, and post-accident drug testing required. Clean driving record required. Must have or be able to obtain driver's license within 30 days following hire. Workers with a clean driving record (no major moving violations such as but not limited to Driving While Intoxicated or Reckless Driving) and possessing or able to obtain an insurable driver's license may drive company vehicles. Workers with appropriate licenses may transport other workers to and from employer-provided housing directly to worksites each day and may transport workers around farms during the workday, may transport crops, supplies, tools and/or equipment/supplies between employer's farm locations, on private or public roads.

Work begins January 20, 2027 and ends November 20, 2027.

Pay is $17.92 per hour.

Housing is provided.

Typical schedule: about 40 hours per week.