Pest technician vs hand spray operator

The differences between pest technicians and hand spray operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a hand spray operator has an average salary of $44,530, which is higher than the $33,467 average annual salary of a pest technician.

The top three skills for a pest technician include safety procedures, GRASS and ladders. The most important skills for a hand spray operator are rig, general maintenance, and safety rules.

Pest technician vs hand spray operator overview

	Pest Technician	Hand Spray Operator
Yearly salary	$33,467	$44,530
Hourly rate	$16.09	$21.41
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	7,804	45,293
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	40	43
Years of experience	-	4

Pest technician vs hand spray operator salary

Pest technicians and hand spray operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pest Technician	Hand Spray Operator
Average salary	$33,467	$44,530
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $44,000	Between $33,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	Las Vegas, NV	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Ecolab	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between pest technician and hand spray operator education

There are a few differences between a pest technician and a hand spray operator in terms of educational background:

	Pest Technician	Hand Spray Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Pest technician vs hand spray operator demographics

Here are the differences between pest technicians' and hand spray operators' demographics:

	Pest Technician	Hand Spray Operator
Average age	40	43
Gender ratio	Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1%	Male, 82.5% Female, 17.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 2.1% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 16.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.5% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	5%	4%

Differences between pest technician and hand spray operator duties and responsibilities

Pest technician example responsibilities.

Apply exterior chemicals to manage and treat for insect and rodent infestations.
Implement EPA approve pest management and effectively complete all necessary paperwork/invoices.
Climb ladders and work in confine spaces.
Home inspection and termite treatments within the guidelines of the EPA and other government agencies with the use of control chemicals.
Implement IPM techniques using least environmentally invasive practices; apply commercial insecticides and herbicides when necessary.
Develop IPM training modules, organize and coordinate in-house educational training activities and conduct multiple presentations at department meetings and seminars.

Hand spray operator example responsibilities.

Operate manual and automate grit blast cabinets.
Spray successive coats of lacquer and paint on work pieces.
Design made and install fabricated items using jigs and fixtures to aid in completing project.
Bring pipe up to snubbing basket and make up with tongs to be snub into hole.
General rig hand and operator responsibility
Operate Fanuc robotics machines to coat aerospace parts

Pest technician vs hand spray operator skills

Common pest technician skills

Safety Procedures, 19%
GRASS, 18%
Ladders, 14%
Good Communication, 11%
Shovels, 10%
Federal Regulations, 9%

Common hand spray operator skills

Rig, 23%
General Maintenance, 21%
Safety Rules, 19%
Hand Tools, 5%
Power Tools, 5%
DIG, 4%

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Pest Technician vs Hand Spray Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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