Hi Joel:
 
Thanks for the response to my response!  We run our advertisement in
the ABJ permanently.  We are not always hiring people, but when we
need people we usually have a couple of interested applicants.
 
To be honest with you, you are over qualified for the jobs we have
here.  We hire people to catch queens.  Although we prefer to hire
people with bee experience, anyone can learn to catch queens in a
week!  The jobs are almost exclusively temporary (January through
June) and pay between $6.50 and $10.00 per hour, depending on
experience.  Our usual new hire is a young, single guy with some bee
experience who is looking for a way to escape Winter.  Kona Queen
provides housing and health insurance.
 
Kona Queen is exclusively a queen producer.  We do not run for honey
or pollination.  In fact, paying for pollination in Hawaii is unheard
of.
 
A few honey produces operate here, but they honey is almost
exclusively bakery grade.  Colony yields can be as high as 350 lbs,
but you have to remember that this is over a 12 month period and
requires extensive moving.
 
You are correct, the cost of living in Hawaii is outrageous.
Everything, and I mean everything, is 30 to 50% higher than on the
Mainland.  Gas is $1.75 a gallon, and has been that price for  three
years.  Costco, Wal-Mart and K-Mart recently arrived and they have
helped lower the prices.  Milk was $4.70 a gallon, but is beginnng to
drop.  A popular saying in Hawaii is that   "Hawaii has one of
everything,.... but only one!"  You very quickly learn the meaning of
the word monopoly.
 
But none of this means that it isn't one of the best areas in the
world for raising queens!  We have 350 bright sunny days every year.
Rain comes at night.  Every day is a breeding day.  We are located on
the back side of Mauna Loa (the world's most massive mountain) which
means we do not have the gusty tradewinds that sweep across the rest
of the state.
 
Finally, you were wondering about the crops we are moving the bees
into.   Well, we move the bees into a Eucalyptus forest during
December and January.  The flow is usually strong enough to boost the
colonies in anticipation of the February queens season.  Hawaiian
honey producers move their bees into macadamia nut orchards,
Christmas berry (Brazilian Pepper) locations and Lehua/Ohia forests.
Some areas also have a coffee bloom.
 
Aloha,
Mark at Kona Queen
 
 
 
 
 
 
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