So you want to be an exterminator. Where do you start? The best place to start is to research what an exterminator is, and what the license means. Which products will you have access to? What pests can you treat? Can a structural exterminator handle termites or is that the job of a licensed Fumigant? Anyone who has not already been a trainee or technician on a real extermination job site will need to learn and understand what it is exterminators do.
If you are looking for an exciting career in pest control, make sure to read our posts on Pest Control Jobs!
The ministry of the environment is the soul arbiter when it comes to pesticides. They break them up into classes, not just one type of class but multiple including organizing by area of action, by target pest and even by chemical classification. These are important to learn as you, as a structural exterminator, will be using them at some point soon. The primary divide in chemicals used for extermination as the alphabetized class system. Classes A through D and Class E which is a specific class covering Corn and Soybean seeds treated with neonicotinoids. The general class used by structural exterminators is Class C which is commercial grade pesticides made for immediate use on residential and commercial properties. While the structural exterminator can also work on a limited area of land, oreforming an outdoor treatment for wasps or carpenter ants, they are restricted from treating any large areas with their class of pesticides. That is the duty of the Land Exterminator.
If you want to become an exterminator quickly the best this to do is to apply to an extermination company as a trainee, or if you have experience in construction or roofing you may apply as a technician. You can start with handling wildlife situations that are not covered by the Ministry of the Environments licensing, and then assist licensed exterminators on site. This can be the best way to prepare for taking the exam as you will have real-world experience to back you.
Once you have decided you have enough experience you can contact the Ministry of the environment and apply to take the exam for the specific type of extermination you want to do. The most common is the structural exterminator in the structural extermination classification. You will receive two text books. One is a core book covering all aspects of extermination from all classes and license types. The exam for it is multiple choice and is a vast amount of information. The second textbook is the specific textbook for your license type, the exam for it is open book but that may not help you as the exam is only one and a half hours. You will need to get a grade of 75% on both exams to pass and if you do you will get a form from the ministry which you can present to the licensing office and receive your exterminator’s license. At this point, you can perform exterminations either on your own or as part of a company. Many companies hire exterminators including apartment buildings and large corporations with vast offices. That or you can go to an extermination company and work as an employee.
