Is anyone in the pest control field here?

[vfox]

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone here works in pest control. I've been thinking about a job change lately and this seems like something I'd probably enjoy doing. A friend of mine's father owns a company and may be needing a new tech soon.

What do you like about the job? What do you hate? How long have you been at it? Is it still fun after a few years? What dangers do you face? I'm curious about it, I am pretty stoked to be able to get out of customer service.

Some of my family views it at a poor job choice for me. They say I'm too smart to do that sort of work and bah blah blah. Personally, other than working in an insect zoo there isn't much out there that let's me get into all sorts of bug filled environments. My only complaint will be needing to occasionally dispatch raccoons and skunks. I'd feel bad about that, unless I have a chance to relocate them. But honestly I grew up on a farm, it's not a huge deal putting down nuisance animals.

I'm just curious if anyone here does this as their profession. And if it's really work getting into?

 

[Allpet Roaches]

I was a state licensed tech a very long time ago. I enjoyed it and enjoyed the weeks spent at a small school the company had in another state. The pay was not very good and who knows how pesticide exposure really effects you over time (and at that time there were a lot of more potent types that were legal to use). The biggest thing I dealt with were rats, mostly German Cockroaches and mice. It was more about customer service than actual results and there were always people asking you to use pesticides in illegal fashions and some of them would complain if you didn't. I'm very happy my occupation changed.

 

[Allpet Roaches]

One example was a guy who paid to have wasps in his skylight killed. I stood on a ladder and collected and smashed each one. He complained that I didn't use a spray (imagine me on a ladder with my head inside a tiny skylight spraying the waps and surviving to tell about it) and that I wouldn't throw rat poison with no protective boxes under his stairs. My manager refunded the guy and asked me to give him an explanation when he had a licence and should know better. Fortunately my accounts were 99% business and there were a lot of nice people and some businesses would give you free sandwiches or bread. Still business does not mean perfect and I remember one of my McD accounts was given to another tech because the owner was mad I wouldn't spray pesticide under all the grills (illegal and possibly dangerous).