Busy Bee Lawn Care is Now Accepting Applications

Here is a description of the Lawn Care Job Opening provided by Busy Bee Lawn Care, Columbia South Carolina:

Job Title: Lawn Care and Landscaping Crew Member (For Lawn Care Company)
Job Description: The Lawn Care and Grounds Keeping Crew Member will be responsible for the duties described below.

Terms of Employment: Seasonal, Hours will vary

Job Type: Lawn Care and Grounds Keeping

Base Location: Cayce, South Carolina

The Crew Member will directly report to the supervisor.

APPLICATIONS WILL BE TAKEN ONLINE ONLY – Please find the online application at the main website, complete the application on your computer, then email the completed application to: Lawrenb@hotmail.com

Job Summary:

The crew member position requires quality workmanship, responsibility, and efficient time management. The crew member will do manual labor, keep time records, navigate to the jobs, and serve as a reliable resource for any other tasks deemed necessary by the supervisor. The crew member is responsible for the safety of themselves as well as any crew member working with them.

Special Requirements:

The candidate must have a minimum of 2 years’ professional experience in lawn care/landscaping/grounds maintenance or demonstrate proficiency and skill equal to 2 years’ experience.

The candidate for Crew Member must own a pickup truck and must have insurance coverage on that pickup truck.

A valid South Carolina Drivers License will be required

A SLED Background Check will be performed

A current driving record will be requested

Responsibilities and Duties:

Able to operate and demonstrate proficiency before hire with landscape maintenance, lawn care, and other equipment including but not limited to:

Ø Push Lawn Mower

Ø Self Propelled Push Lawn Mower

Ø Gas Powered, hand held, “stick” edger

Ø Gas Powered conventional edger

Ø Backpack Blower

Ø Weed eater (2 stroke, requires fuel mixture)

Ø Hand tools (rake, shovel, and any other common hand tool used in landscaping, lawn care, and grounds keeping)

Ø Light equipment

Ø Gas Powered Hedge Trimmer

Ø Fertilizer Drop Spreader

Ø And any other common piece of machinery deemed to be necessary to complete the task at hand

Able to consistently, safely, and accurately maneuver a landscape trailer towed behind pickup truck backwards and forwards.

Able to work in various outdoor places and circumstances including exposure to dust from various sources, direct skin contact with various plants & landscaping materials, varying degrees of noise, extreme weather conditions, and pests.

Knowledge of safe operating practices in the work environment and with the various tools and machinery.

Must report malfunctioning equipment to the supervisor. However, if the equipment is down, work time is down, and paid time is down – it would be of benefit to the crew member to develop skills in small engines in order to keep the equipment in top working order.

Other duties will be assigned by supervisor as determined by supervisor.

Qualifications

The crew member must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily (at the discretion of the supervisor). The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required:

Experience/Education Requirements

This position requires a high school education and at least 2 years related experience in the green industry (lawn care, landscaping, and grounds maintenance). The candidate must have the ability to comprehend and execute orally spoken directions and instructions to the satisfaction of the supervisor.

Mathematical Proficiency

Proficiency in Basic math skills required in order to calculate gas/fuel mixtures for the gas powered equipment, navigation on roads and timesheets.

Communication and Language Skills

Must be fluent in The English Language. Proficiency in Spanish is a plus but not required.

Other abilities and skills

Marketing and sales skills are a plus!
Personality Counts - A good Personality is a plus!

Physical Demands

The physical demands described below must be met by the crew member to successfully, safely, and efficiently perform the functions of this job position.

The employee is frequently required to stand upright, crouch, walk quickly, sit down, and negotiate physical orientation in various situations (such as mounting and dismounting power equipment).

A satisfactory demonstration of coordination and dexterity is required of this position. The employee is frequently required to use their hands in order to control the various power equipment, operate the machinery, drive vehicles, use hand tools, and help maintain the power equipment. The employee is frequently required to reach with their hands and arms fully extended, climb (no tree climbing required), balance themselves, kneel down, crouch and crawl, and move around quickly.

The employee is required to be able to speak clearly and audibly and to hear sufficiently.

The employee must be able to frequently move up to 20 pounds and occasionally lift and move up to 70 pounds.

This employee’s vision must be clear and fully functional to safely and satisfactorily operate the equipment, complete the tasks at hand, and drive a vehicle. Eye protection will be required at all times.

Work Environment

The work environment that will be encountered by the crew member will include, but will not be limited to, the examples below.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee frequently works with mechanical, gas/electrically powered objects and equipment

The employee works in outside weather conditions consisting of extreme heat in the summer (upwards of 104 degrees) and cold in the winter (as low as 20 degrees).

The employee is exposed to various fumes, airborne particles of all sorts, and occasional toxic or caustic chemicals (herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, etc).

The noise level in the work environment is occasionally loud. Hearing protection will be required (and supplied)

How to sharpen a lawn mower blade

Most folks just break out the old lawn mower every year, throw some gas in it, (hopefully) crank it up, and go at their lawn without stopping to do one of the most important things - sharpen the lawn mower blade.

"But my mower seems to cut fine, why sharpen it?" - Common perception! Look closely at the blades of grass after you cut them. If the ends of your grass blades are frayed, your mower blades are in need of a good sharpening.

A good sharp blade will ensure a clean cut and a healthy lawn - frayed grass ends make for an unhealthy lawn!

First, unplug the spark plug and tuck the wire well away from the plug (it can "arc" and actually fire without being "connected"). Turn the mower on its side, making sure you don't spill out gas. If gas is in the tank, empty the tank, at least, to a level where it won't spill when tipped.

The BEST way to remove the blade is with an impact wrench - either a good electric one or an air/pneumatic air wrench. Remove the bolt holding the blade on, note the order in which the washer goes on, and note the direction of the blade.

Once the blade is off, you can sharpen it using an air grinder, an electric side grinder with a course wheel, or a hand file. When sharpening the lawn mower blade, keep with the same angle as was stock. Never sharpen the blade to the sharpness of a knife edge - the edge will quickly cleave off and break. Instead of a razor sharp edge, you are really after an ever so slightly squared off edge,

After sharpening the blade, re-attach, plug in your spark plug, gas it up, and go!

A good sharp blade will even SOUND different when cutting - you'll notice a clean cut and your grass will thrive and grow more healthy all season.

Good luck! For more tips and information on Lawn Care in Columbia South Carolina, visit my website, BusyBeeLawnCare.com

Leaf and Pinestraw Removal Service

At this time of year, everyone is looking for the magic bullet to quickly and easily take care of their leaf and debris problem. The big secret is - there IS no good way to remove leaves...just good old fashioned labor (and a backpack blower!).

I start by taking a good look at the yard. I determine the direction in which I want to send the leaves and debris, then start blowing the leaves in that direction. Often times, I include the leaves in the beds; blowing the leaves away from the beds and towards that direction.

Once I get all the leaves and pinestraw moved to one side of the yard, we usually use a large tarp to rake the debris onto. Then the good old fashioned labor comes in - a strong crew member must manually lift the tarp laden with leaves and pinestraw and carry it to the street.

This service runs on an hourly basis. The degree to which we clean up is entirely up to your preference and what your budget will allow.

One last comment - these "yard and lawn vacuums" are good for light duty, but for most yards are ineffective.

Welcome To The Busy Bee Lawn Care Blog (What's New!)

Hi there!

Welcome to the Busy Bee Lawn Care Blog. My name is Ashley Brooks and I'm the owner and supervisor of Busy Bee Lawn Care.

Check back to this section for my frequent postings...I will frequently post lawn care tips, fertilization information for your lawn, lawn care equipment ratings, business tips and information, and a general commentary.

Busy Bee is a locally owned, friendly/family oriented, licensed and insured lawn care business. The residents and business owners in the Greater Columbia South Carolina areas enjoy the finest in lawn care from Busy Bee!

Make sure you visit my main website if you are interested in more about Lawn Care in Columbia South Carolina and the Surrounding Areas.