Trades
Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, & Applicators, Vegetation

Pesticides

Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, & Applicators, Vegetation are responsible for applying pesticides to crops, forests, and other vegetation
Pesticides
Why Should You Consider This Career?

Make bugs your full time job. See all kinds of critters so others don't need to deal with them! Lots of food processing plants have CRAZY bug problems.

TYPICAL SALARY
$80k
That's $3,300 per bi-weekly paycheck
CAREER OUTLOOK
Growing
That's 2000 new jobs in Utah per year (30% growth)
Less Physical                                         More Physical
—————|————
Less Training                                          More Training
—————|————
More Structure                                     Less Structure
—————|————
ALTERNATIVE JOB TITLES:
Chemical Applicator, Integrated Pest Management Technician (IPM Technician), Lawn Specialist, Lawn Technician, Licensed Pesticide Applicator, Pest Control Technician, Pesticide Applicator, Spray Applicator, Spray Technician, Tree and Shrub Technician

Mix or apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides through sprays, dusts, vapors, soil incorporation, or chemical application on trees, shrubs, lawns, or crops. Usually requires specific training and state or federal certification.

At A Glance in US
2028 JOB GROWTH
Wage loader
398,000 (35%)
SALARY RANGE
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AVG. JOBS / YEAR
398,000 (35%)
TIME TO JOURNEYMAN
398,000 (35%)
ALTERNATIVE JOB TITLES:
Chemical Applicator, Integrated Pest Management Technician (IPM Technician), Lawn Specialist, Lawn Technician, Licensed Pesticide Applicator, Pest Control Technician, Pesticide Applicator, Spray Applicator, Spray Technician, Tree and Shrub Technician
A Typical Day Icon

Your Typical Day:

  • Mix pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides for application to trees, shrubs, lawns, or botanical crops.
  • Fill sprayer tanks with water and chemicals, according to formulas.
  • Lift, push, and swing nozzles, hoses, and tubes to direct spray over designated areas.
  • Identify lawn or plant diseases to determine the appropriate course of treatment.
  • Cover areas to specified depths with pesticides, applying knowledge of weather conditions, droplet sizes, elevation-to-distance ratios, and obstructions.
  • Start motors and engage machinery, such as sprayer agitators or pumps or portable spray equipment.
  • Connect hoses and nozzles selected according to terrain, distribution pattern requirements, types of infestations, and velocities.
  • Clean or service machinery to ensure operating efficiency, using water, gasoline, lubricants, or hand tools.
  • Provide driving instructions to truck drivers to ensure complete coverage of designated areas, using hand and horn signals.
  • Plant grass with seed spreaders, and operate straw blowers to cover seeded areas with mixtures of asphalt and straw.
wage icon

Wages in the US:

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$
26.94
Per Hour Base Income
$TBD
Total Compensation
Your Responsibilities Icon

Your Responsibilities

  • Prepare chemicals for work application.
  • Treat greenery or surfaces with protective substances.
  • Inspect landscaping to determine treatment needs.
  • Operate grounds maintenance equipment.
  • Clean equipment or supplies.
  • Maintain equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning.
  • Instruct staff in work policies or procedures.
  • Plant greenery to improve landscape appearance.
Your Knowledge Icon

Knowledge You Will Learn

  • Biology

Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment. 64/100

  • Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. 64/100

  • Production and Processing

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. 63/100

  • English Language

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. 62/100

  • Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources. 59/100

  • Public Safety and Security

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions. 54/100

  • Education and Training

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. 53/100

  • Law and Government

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process. 53/100

  • Mathematics

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. 53/100

  • Chemistry

Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods. 51/100

Tools of the Trade Icon

Tools of the Trade

  • Sprayers
  • Fog or mist generators
  • Facial shields
  • Spray truck
  • Flow sensors
  • Chemical resistant gloves
  • Respirators
  • Hazardous material protective footwear
  • Safety glasses
  • Stop watch
  • Notebook computers
  • Hand sprayers
  • Goggles
  • Laboratory graduated cylinders
  • Tape measures
  • Seeder attachment
  • Hazardous material protective apparel
  • Personal computers
  • Tablet computers
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