Pest Control Worker

I. JOB SUMMARY

Main Topic: Human Geography
Secondary Topic: Environment and Society

Overview: Pest control workers remove insects, rodents, and other pests that infest buildings and surrounding areas. Pest control workers often kneel, bend, and crawl in tight spaces to inspect sites. Because there are health risks associated with pesticide use, workers are trained in pesticide safety and typically wear protective gear, which may include gloves, goggles, and respirators. Most pest control workers are employed full time. Working evenings and weekends is common. Pest control workers typically need a high school diploma and receive on-the-job training. State laws require pest control workers to be licensed. Pest control workers typically inspect buildings and premises for signs of pests or infestation, determine the type of treatment needed to eliminate pests, measure the dimensions of the area needing treatment, estimate the cost of their services, use baits and set traps to remove, control, or eliminate pests, apply pesticides in and around buildings and other structures, design and carry out pest management plans, drive trucks equipped with power spraying equipment and create barriers to prevent pests from entering a building. The following are examples of Pest Control job titles:

Pest control technicians are usually entry-level workers who identify potential and actual pest problems, conduct inspections, and design control strategies. They work directly with customers and use a limited range of pesticides.

Pest Control workers need geographic skills for various reasons. First, they control, manage, and remove these creatures from apartments, homes, offices, and other structures in a way that does not harm inhabitants and maintains the structural integrity of buildings. To design and carry out integrated pest management plans, pest control workers must know the identity and biology of a wide range of pests. The geographic characteristics of a place significantly influences the origin and development of the pests, hence having geographic and ecological knowledge would serve the pest control worker the best in any situation. Second, they need geographic skills such as geographic information systems (GIS), modeling software, and other computer programs to analyze and predict locational patterns of pest proliferation, which links to the health and safety risks to the occupants. They can also identify and record geographic patters and geographic causes for such incidences to stop future recurrences and eradicate the pest problem entirely.

Geographers at work:  Health geographers, human geographers, environmental geographers

Recommended College Courses:  Health geography, human geography, social geography, environmental geography, geographic information science, physical geography

Skills:  Mapping and modeling, geographic information systems, computer and database systems, spatial analysis, map reading and interpretation

Occupation Group: Building and Grounds Cleaning

Learn more about Pest Control Workers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/building-and-grounds-cleaning/pest-control-workers.htm#tab-1