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Posted: April 14, 2026 (0 days ago)

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Insect Production Worker

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Department of Agriculture

Fresh

Salary

$19.76 - $27.27

per hour

Closes

April 20, 2026More USDA jobs →

SES Pay Grade

Base salary range: $147,649 - $221,900

Typical requirements: Executive-level leadership experience. Senior executive qualifications required.

Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).

Job Description

Summary

This job involves hands-on work in a lab setting to raise large numbers of insects for agricultural purposes, including preparing their food, maintaining clean environments, and preparing them for shipment.

Workers handle daily tasks like feeding, monitoring health, and using equipment to sterilize areas.

It's ideal for someone with experience in animal care, lab work, or farming who enjoys detail-oriented, physical tasks in a government science role.

Key Requirements

  • Training and experience in insect rearing or similar biological production work
  • Knowledge of preparing diets, media, and disinfectants for sanitation
  • Ability to operate lab equipment like scales, autoclaves, and steam washers
  • Skills in monitoring environmental conditions (temperature, humidity) and recording data accurately
  • Experience in separating, harvesting, and categorizing insects
  • Familiarity with sterilization processes, including irradiation and monitoring
  • Attention to detail for observing insect health and maintaining clean work areas

Full Job Description

Insect Production Workers perform routine assignments involved in insect mass production, packaging, storing, and sterilization, and delivering of insects.

They are also involved in the cleaning, disinfection and maintenance of work areas. This is a TERM appointment not to exceed 13 months. (Appointment may be extended up to 4 years without reannouncing).

For more details click: Term Appointments Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

To qualify, you must show you have had training and experience of sufficient scope and quality to provide you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Your answers to the vacancy specific questions must be supported by the work experience in your resume.

For example, if you respond in the affirmative when questioned whether you have experience rearing insects, your resume must include this experience, mindful that experience may not be inferred by job title.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Major Duties:

  • The duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • Prepares and weighs out different rearing media and diet ingredients using different scales in preparing to make artificial diet.
  • Prepares disinfectant, for cleaning and sanitation of equipment to ensure healthy production levels through the productive lifespan of the colony.
  • Operates and/or synchronizes multiple pieces of equipment for the establishment of the colony.
  • Provides feed to insects, controls temperature and humidity, and harvests pupae or adults, records collection data, and verifies that the data is correct and properly backed up.
  • Separates insects into categories such as sex and/or specie and controls them to prevent escape or intermingling.
  • Observes insect collections for obvious changes of live cycles, deaths, and general activity.
  • Performs irradiation and irradiation monitoring of insects prior to shipping and puts the information into storage and a database.
  • Maintains approved disinfectants to clean and sanitize the floors, walls and equipment; operates high pressure steam washers, and uses autoclave to sterilize materials, water, and objects.

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Posted on USAJOBS: 4/14/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 4/14/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: DE-12934274-26-PQ