Food Sovereignty Beekeeper Apiary

Job Identification:

Position Title:

Beekeeper Apiary

Status:

Non-Exempt

Location:

Quapaw Nation Farmers Market

Program:

Food Sovereignty

Department:

Food Sovereignty

Reports to:

Food Sovereignty Director

Work Schedule:

Full Tim

safety sensitive:

driver license required:

Yes

Yes

Position Summary:

The Beekeeper Apiary is responsible for raising and caring for our honeybee colonies. The Beekeeper Apiary is responsible for building and maintaining beehives, inducting wild swarms, collecting honey, removing hive parasites, and maintaining the health of the hive. The Beekeeper Apiary may also be required to sterilize or destroy hives and cultivate queen bees for commercial purposes. To ensure success as a beekeeper, the Beekeeper Apiary should have a passion for beekeeping, the ability to stay calm under pressure, and a desire to work outdoors. Ultimately, a top-class beekeeper maintains healthy hives and produces high-quality honeybee products.

Essential Job Functions:

• Assembling beehives to desired specifications.
• Inserting honeycombs and inducting wild swarms into prepared hives.
• Forcing bees from a hive using a smoke pot to inspect the hive and retrieve honey.
• Collecting honey and royal jelly.
• Destroying excess queen bee cells to prevent the division of a colony.
• Scraping out hive parasites and removing vennin.
• Destroying diseased bee colonies.
• Arranging the sale of honey to local buyers.
• Splitting colonies.
• All other duties as assigned.

Non-essential Job Functions:

• Attend various meetings, seminars and training as required.
• May be required to provide training to volunteers, project partners, or new employees.

Job Specifications:

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Maintain a current driver's license in good standing and qualify under the Quapaw Nation's insurance policy.
• Detail-orie