Feature -- by Mark Sproxton

Returning from the truck wearing a respirator, gloves, coveralls, and carrying a tank with hoses and handles, the exterminator looks like a character in a science fiction movie. Unlike the movie characters, however, the aliens this pest control technician sets out to battle are real. Real bugs in this instance. Ants, wasps, worms, beetles, even mice and squirrels are the pests to overcome. And they appear everywhere and anywhere, at all times of the day and night.

"I don't know if there is a worst part of the job, except getting called out at 2 a.m.," joked Jerry Gautreau, of Aardvark Pest Control Services. "I'm the owner, but I don't like a desk job. Although you're doing the same thing, it's always at a different place." A theoretical work week is eight-hour shifts, Monday to Friday, with people rotating weekends. "But that doesn't happen," Gautreau said. "A typical day is go like hell."

The season, and the weather influence pest activity, and as such, makes schedules hard to predict. Basic procedure to answer a call, regardless of timing, includes: setting up an appointment; surveying and locating the problem area; discussing with the owner/caller the problems that have been occurring; treating the problem; and, providing counselling on future control possibilities.

Since completing a two-year pesticide course at Purdue University in Indiana, Gautreau has been exterminating pests for 15 years. While he considers the course the "Cadillac" route to the industry, there are other ways to enter the field. Sir Sandford Fleming College in Lindsay, Ont. has a two-year Environmental Pest Control program, and a correspondence course is available through Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alta.

While Gautreau says the courses are useful, most of the learning comes from hands-on experience. He said he does far less reading now, than he did at the beginning of his career. "But for some guys, bugs are their life. It's all personal preference." Currently in Alberta, once you attain your pesticide licence, you have to renew it every five years. Gautreau said there's a push in the industry to have everyone re-write the exam every five years.

With a decade-and-a-half experience behind him, Gautreau has worked with many other technicians in his day. "The typical lifespan is two years," he said. "It's usually money issues." With a base salary and commission targets in place, the potential exists to make $40,000 to $50,000 a year, the veteran exterminator said. "But you're working really hard for that." Commissions are based on selling pest control products, bringing in new customers, and the monetary value of the jobs you perform.

The work may be hard, but those who enjoy dealing with people, while being good at eliminating pests, are most often successful. "You need someone who's sociable and can get along with everybody," Gautreau said. "A shy, or quiet guy who doesn't talk to people won't make it." Even for those who fit those requirements, job opportunities are limited, he added. "It's always going to be needed, but you're never going to see it in demand."