The Vermont Bee Lab is seeking a Summer Technician with experience in beekeeping and fieldwork to join our team! This position involves hands-on work with honeybees, including hive management, field sampling, lab work, and data collection, contributing to ongoing research on pollinator health. 

This position will involve conducting fieldwork and lab work for the Vermont Bee Lab. Projects will include field work and lab work to support the following projects:

• Honey bee diagnostic clinic and reporting for beekeepers
• National Honey Bee Survey, a nationwide effort to gather baseline data on bee diseases and pests
• Assistance for bee producers to improve Northeast bee stock and their pest/pathogen resistance
• Observational behavior experiments to better understand disease resistance/tolerance mechanisms in hygienic honey bee colonies
• Pesticide residue monitoring in honey bee hive materials
• Outreach and workshop events

On field days, incumbents will work as a team to collect samples, assist with conducting experiments, and perform hive inspections in apiaries throughout Vermont for the projects listed above. On lab days, incumbents will care for in vitro honey bees and process samples collected from field work/submitted to the bee lab for Varroa and Nosema.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Collect samples from honey bee colonies to test for pests, pathogens, and pesticides
• Conduct visual colony inspections for pests and pathogens
• Process bee samples for pests and pathogens using microscopy
• Generate and submit reports to beekeepers
• Assist in observational trials of bee behavior
• Provide husbandry for bees reared in laboratory conditions
• Represent the Vermont Bee Lab at outreach events which may include tabling and/or assisting in workshops
• Data entry

Qualifications

This position requires a quick learner and ability to understand specialized knowledge of handling honey bees, working through hives, and identifying honey bee pests and pathogens. It also will involve specialized knowledge of lab work and ability to work independently.

Desirable Skills

• Prior Lab/Field Work: Skills in processing and analyzing biological samples, including preparation for pathogen detection. Precise and methodical in all aspects of field and lab work, particularly when processing samples or conducting inspections
• Prior Beekeeping Experience: Experience inspecting hives, identifying signs of pests and diseases, and performing colony health assessments. Knowledge of bee pests
• Data entry skills: Comfort with using databases or spreadsheets to enter data, as well as basic analysis of results (e.g., summarizing findings, identifying trends)
• Public outreach: Ability to engage with the public at workshops, events, or outreach programs, with clear communication about research and beekeeping practices
• Teamwork and collaboration: Ability to work well within a team during field and lab days, communicating findings effectively with colleagues
• Problem-solving: Ability to troubleshoot issues in the field or lab, particularly when identifying and diagnosing colony health issues
• Time management: Efficiently managing time between field and lab days, balancing multiple tasks and responsibilities
• Adaptability: Flexibility in managing different projects and shifting between fieldwork and lab-based work as needed
• Ability and willingness to work under rugged field conditions. Can lift 50 lbs

Timeline

May 2025 - Sep. 2025 with possible opportunity for continuance