Field Mosquito Technician

In the morning your Field Operations Supervisor will meet with you and your crew and let you know what the plan is for the day.

You will then gather what supplies you need (weigh out your larvicide material, and grab your district phone, maps, and personal protective equipment).

Get in your assigned truck and drive to the area you will be working that day.

Some common tasks include:
- CHECK AND TREATS - Going to a wetland, checking for larvae, if found the site would be treated by you with a one-time kill larvicide.
- TREATING PREHATCH SITES - Treating wetlands that are known to be great mosquito larvae habitat with a 30-day material (prehatch material).
- AIR DIPPING - To treat a wetland with our helicopter, technicians first must see if there are enough mosquito larvae in the site to warrant treatment; this is done after a 1-inch rain.
- CATCH-BASINS - Catch-basins (storm drains usually on the side of the road) that hold water can contain mosquito larvae. Technicians will use a map to locate and treat water-holding catch-basins.
- TIRE PICKUPS - MMCD picks up and recycles tires from people in the public; we do this because discarded tires that can hold water are perfect larval habitats for certain mosquitoes).
- LOT/PROPERTY INSPECTIONS - Mosquitoes can lay eggs in water-holding containers, so to find those we sometimes have inspectors inspect properties or woodlots.
- ADULT SAMPLING - We collect adult samples to determine adult population levels and to test for mosquito borne diseases.

Meet for lunch - If you and your crew are close enough together, you will most likely meet at a park for your lunch break.

Finish up your field activities, then meet back at your field facility 20-30 minutes to weigh back in your material, finish up paperwork, ask questions, touch base with your supervisor, and get ready to leave for the day.

Once applications are up (usually in January), we will begin hiring around February.

Applications will remain open until all positions are filled.

Apply early to ensure you are considered for the position.

Yes! We normally will not do more that what the job description details, but if your university is fine with that, so are we.

We do occasionally have full-time opportunities for the Field Operations Supervisor positions. To be considered you should have worked as a Mosquito Field Technician for at least a season, have some leadership experience, and have at least an associate degree (or similar).

Our season usually starts in spring, and ends when work is completed, usually sometime in the fall. The start date can depend on weather. If you can work the whole season, that’s great! Otherwise if you’re in school and can only work mid-May to the end of August, that’s fine too. We are flexible with start dates as long as you’re here for most of the main mosquito season (June-August).

Typical hours in the field are Monday-Friday 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. with two 15-minute breaks and an unpaid 30 minutes for lunch. We work early to get as much time in during the cool hours of the day.

Usually no, but if we do not have enough volunteers it may be required.

You can ask for time-off ahead of time to avoid work conflicting with your summer plans.

Normally the schedule is 40 hours a week. You may be able to work something out with the Regional Operations Manager at the facility if you cannot work the full 40 hours a week. Feel free to apply and talk to the manager when they call.

As you work, you accumulate PTO (paid time off). You are free to use those hours as you see fit. Depending on how busy we are, we usually allow you to take extra time off (unpaid) for things like a family vacation. If we know far enough ahead of time, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Yes! Training is done by your Field Operations Supervisor, and by returning technicians on your crew.

We will not send you out by yourself until you can comfortably do the job on your own.

You are responsible for getting to your field office in the morning, but once at work, District vehicles are provided.

We have a fleet of various trucks for technicians to drive in the field.

Most likely no! If you feel uncomfortable with the vehicle you’re asked to drive, let your supervisor know and they will be happy to help train you.

You do not need experience working outside. Just be prepared to be out in the elements whether it be hot, cold, humid, or buggy.

If you have seasonal allergies, be prepared to take allergy medication. We work outdoors in grasses and trees that can release clouds of pollen as you walk through them. Some people do not realize they have allergies until they start working here, so keep that in mind too.

MMCD provides shirts, hats, waders, bug spray, a District smart phone (only for use at work), PPE (personal protective equipment), and any tools you will need to perform the job.

You need to wear long pants without rips and closed toed non-canvas shoes (tennis shoes or hiking boots recommended).

It’s a good idea to have an extra pair of pants and socks (just in case you go a little too far into a wetland!).

You may want to bring a jacket/rain jacket if the weather calls for it. If will rain most of the day, if there is severe weather, or if the heat index is above 100°, you may be able to go home without it counting against you.

You should also bring a water bottle, snacks, lunch, and any medications you may need.

It depends on your facility and crew, but most crews will meet at a park for lunch around noon every day for their 30-minute lunch break.

It is recommended that you bring your own lunch, but you may be able to stop and grab food while on the job depending on your supervisor and the workload.

Both! While training, you will be paired with someone else to show you the ropes. There are also some activities that require two or more people.

Otherwise once trained in you will mostly be working on your own. Your Field Operations Supervisor and teammates are only a phone call away though.

Some of the basics include learning how to identify mosquito larvae in the field, take samples of larval and adult mosquitoes, apply granular larvicides, enter data, and read maps.

Our main goal is larval mosquito control, but we also may do some adult control if populations are very bad or if we find a disease case.

Everyone is required to take a test to get their Pesticide Applicator License (part A (general) and L (mosquito)) through the MN Department of Agriculture. Work time will be allotted for studying. This allows you apply restricted use pesticides which we use for adult mosquito control.

You will also get experience with efficiently planning your day, educating the public, working individually and with a team, and navigating through the woods.

You will get to know the area you work in very well; you may be walking through forests, prairies, farmland, parks, backyards, suburban neighborhoods, the city, or anything in between.

Aside from mosquito control, we also monitor tick populations and monitor, and treat for black flies. You may be able to help with this if you are interested.

We educate the public by participating in parades, fair booths, and community events. We usually have signups for people interested in these opportunities.

Helicopters are used to drop our granular larvicides into wetlands that are too large to treat by hand. While you wouldn’t be in the helicopter, we have crews that help load the material into the helicopter.

We just started using drone technology in 2019; we are working towards using drones for surveillance and for wetland treatment. Once we get our drone program established, there may be opportunities to help with these project

We mainly use granular larval control materials. These materials specifically target mosquito larvae and a few other larval insects. Studies have been done to ensure we are not harming non-target species. While these materials are relatively safe, we follow the directions on the label to make sure we’re wearing the proper PPE (personal protective equipment) to best protect ourselves. Our adult mosquito control materials are less species specific, so we do not use them unless necessary to combat disease vectors or if mosquito populations are out of hand. When using adult mosquito control materials, we do not treat flowers, milkweed, bees, or water. We also wear appropriate PPE like gloves, glasses, and long-sleeve shirts. We also allow technicians to be a part of our cartridge respirator program if they so choose.

The materials we use are named on our Control Materials page .