Pest Control Workers

What the job really is

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

At a glance

• Sector: Building & Grounds
• O*NET-SOC code: 37-2021
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Record work activities performed.
• Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations.
• Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients.
• Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catch basins.
• Clean work site after completion of job.
• Drive truck equipped with power spraying equipment.
• Measure area dimensions requiring treatment, calculate fumigant requirements, and estimate cost for service.
• Study preliminary reports or diagrams of infested area and determine treatment type required to eliminate and prevent recurrence of infestation.
• Direct, or assist other workers in, treatment or extermination processes to eliminate or control rodents, insects, or weeds.
• Post warning signs and lock building doors to secure area to be fumigated.
• Set mechanical traps, or place poisonous paste or bait in sewers, burrows, or ditches.
• Cut or bore openings in building or surrounding concrete, access infested areas, insert nozzle, and inject pesticide to impregnate ground.

Tools and technology

Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Word, Adjustable hand wrenches, Bait stations, Bellows dusters, Brooms, Bulb dusters, Chemical-resistant footwear, Chemical-resistant suits

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
• Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
• Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
• Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
• Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
• First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
• First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
• Agricultural Technicians

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Pest Control Workers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.