Apiarist
An Apiarist manages commercial or semi-commercial bee colonies for honey, pollen, and pollination services in Australian rural or peri-urban settings. They oversee hive health, colony reproduction, and harvest operations while complying with biosecurity and animal welfare regulations.
What this job is
An Apiarist manages commercial or semi-commercial bee colonies for honey, pollen, and pollination services in Australian rural or peri-urban settings. They oversee hive health, colony reproduction, and harvest operations while complying with biosecurity and animal welfare regulations. The role involves direct handling of bees, equipment maintenance, and marketing of bee products.
Are employers advertising this role?
Falling, down 28.0% over 5 years
Counted across a group of similar roles. These are three-month rolling averages of online job advertisements, not filled positions.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index.
Day-to-day
Monitor hive health by conducting regular inspections for disease, pest infestation (including Varroa destructor), and colony strength using standardised assessment techniques. Perform hive manipulations including queen clipping, splitting colonies, requeening, and combining weak hives to maintain productivity and genetic quality. Extract and process honey and beeswax using mechanical extractors, settling tanks, and bottling equipment to meet food safety standards. Maintain detailed records of hive performance, treatments, harvest yields, and bee genetics for traceability and regulatory compliance. Apply registered treatments and medications for bee diseases in accordance with APVMA approved products and label instructions. Manage hive locations and negotiate pollination contracts with agricultural producers to supplement income. Comply with Australian biosecurity requirements including registration with relevant state agricultural authorities and adherence to hive health protocols. Maintain beekeeping equipment including frames, boxes, smokers, and protective clothing through cleaning, repair, and seasonal storage.
Who does this now
About 1,600 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
What this role asks for
Bachelor degree or higher (ABS skill level 1)
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation were generally able to find suitable applicants in 2025. This measures how hard employers found it to fill jobs. It is not a count of jobs, and it does not say whether the occupation is growing.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Jobs and Skills Australia defines an occupation-ready qualification as:
Completing this qualification will provide the skills and knowledge to undertake this occupation. Further training and experience may be required to meet specific industry requirements including licensing and registration.
Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Requirements
The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.
The honest hard part
Varroa destructor and other bee diseases can wipe out entire apiaries with little warning, especially if you're new to spotting early signs. You'll work outdoors in all weather, get stung regularly despite protective gear, and income swings wildly based on seasonal honey flows and pollination demand. Startup costs for hives, equipment, and land are steep, and you're competing against established beekeepers with better economies of scale.
Where the jobs are
Some beekeepers operate from peri-urban hobby apiaries, but making full-time income requires rural or regional land access and proximity to farmers or honey markets.
Skills
- Assist in transportation of animalscore
- Attention to Detailcore
- Breed insectscore
- Continuous Learning and Upskillingcore
- Control animal movementcore
- Data Entry and Accuracycore
- Goal Setting and Planningcore
- Inventory Trackingcore
- Livestock reproductioncore
- Livestock speciescore
- Manage animal biosecuritycore
- Problem Solvingcore
- Provide nutrition to animalscore
- Record Managementcore
- Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
- Research and Analysiscore
- Risk Identificationcore
- Signs of animal illnesscore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Workload Self-Managementcore
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Advise customers on appropriate pet care
- Advise on animal purchase
- Animal nutrition
- Animal welfare
- Animal welfare legislation
- Assess animal nutrition
- Assess management of animals
- Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
- Computerised feeding systems
- Health and safety regulations
- Invoicing and Billing Administration
- Maintain equipment
- Maintain professional records
- Monitor the welfare of animals
- Negotiation
- Process Improvement Identification
- Supplier Communication
- Verbal Communication
- Written Communication
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
- ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.
Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.
Last updated: 30 October 2026
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