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Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
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.
Other titles employers use
Chemical Applicator · Integrated Pest Management Technician (IPM Technician) · Lawn Specialist · Lawn Technician · Licensed Pesticide Applicator · Pest Control Technician · Pesticide Applicator · Spray Applicator
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical and organizing work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Time Management
- Reading Comprehension
- Social Perceptiveness
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Biology
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Administration and Management
Useful strengths
- Near Vision
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Control Precision
- Oral Comprehension
- Problem Sensitivity
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 2.1 | Largely your own space |
| On your feet | 3.4 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 4.2 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 4.2 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 71%
- A certificate or some college 16%
- A four-year degree 13%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Web page creation and editing software
- Operating system software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Geographic information system
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 4,440
- Job openings each year
- 580
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 15.3%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 4,440 | 580 | 15.3% |
| California | 2,700 | 350 | 8.0% |
| Indiana | 1,530 | 190 | — |
| Washington | 1,200 | 170 | 14.3% |
| New York | 1,020 | 10 | 6.3% |
| Idaho | 990 | 130 | 8.8% |
| Minnesota | 970 | 120 | — |
| Texas | 940 | 120 | 6.8% |
| Illinois | 910 | 120 | 2.2% |
| Iowa | 880 | 110 | 2.3% |
| South Dakota | 850 | 110 | 11.8% |
| Georgia | 710 | 90 | 12.7% |
| North Carolina | 680 | 90 | 7.9% |
| Colorado | 600 | 80 | 13.2% |
| Ohio | 570 | 70 | — |
| Michigan | 530 | 70 | — |
| Virginia | 500 | 60 | 2.0% |
| Mississippi | 480 | 60 | 6.7% |
| Nebraska | 450 | 60 | 2.3% |
| Wisconsin | 450 | 60 | 9.8% |
| Tennessee | 440 | 60 | 7.3% |
| Montana | 430 | 60 | 10.3% |
| Nevada | 420 | 60 | 20.0% |
| Oregon | 420 | 60 | 13.5% |
| North Dakota | 370 | 50 | 8.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 370 | 50 | 2.8% |
| Louisiana | 340 | 40 | 3.0% |
| New Hampshire | 340 | 40 | 6.3% |
| Missouri | 330 | 40 | 3.1% |
| Arizona | 300 | 40 | 11.1% |
| South Carolina | 290 | 40 | 11.5% |
| Arkansas | 220 | 30 | 4.8% |
| Wyoming | 200 | 30 | 11.1% |
| Maryland | 160 | 20 | 6.7% |
| New Jersey | 160 | 20 | 6.7% |
| Oklahoma | 160 | 20 | 6.7% |
| Kentucky | 140 | 20 | — |
| West Virginia | 120 | 20 | 20.0% |
| Massachusetts | 70 | 10 | — |
| Utah | 70 | 10 | 16.7% |
| Delaware | 60 | 10 | — |
| Alaska | 30 | 0 | — |
| Maine | 30 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Brigham Young University-Idaho
- Degrees each year
- 43
- Admit rate
- 97%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 35
- Admit rate
- 54%
- Annual cost after aid
- $26,000
Texas A & M University-College Station
- Degrees each year
- 33
- Admit rate
- 63%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Brigham Young University
- Degrees each year
- 29
- Admit rate
- 69%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
University of Rhode Island
- Degrees each year
- 24
- Admit rate
- 77%
- Annual cost after aid
- $18,000
University of Arkansas
- Degrees each year
- 16
- Admit rate
- 72%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
Mississippi State University
- Degrees each year
- 14
- Admit rate
- 76%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
- Degrees each year
- 12
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Compare every college offering applied horticulture and horticultural business services