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Pest Control Workers

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth

Apply or release chemical solutions or toxic gases and set traps to kill or remove pests and vermin that infest buildings and surrounding areas.

What you’d do

  • Record work activities performed.
  • Clean work site after completion of job.
  • Measure area dimensions requiring treatment, calculate fumigant requirements, and estimate cost for service.
  • Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catch basins.
  • Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients.
  • Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations.
  • Drive truck equipped with power spraying equipment.
  • Direct, or assist other workers in, treatment or extermination processes to eliminate or control rodents, insects, or weeds.

Skills that matter

  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking
  • Monitoring
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Time Management

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Pest Control Applicator
  • Pest Control Technician (Pest Control Tech)
  • Pest Technician (Pest Tech)
  • Termite Technician (Termite Tech)
  • Commercial Pest Control Technician (Commercial Pest Control Tech)
  • Exterminator

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