Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
37-3012.00
Updated 2026

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.

Sample of reported job titles: Applicator, Chemical Applicator, Herbicide Applicator, IPM Technician (Integrated Pest Management Technician), Lawn Specialist, Pesticide Applicator, Shrub Technician (Shrub Tech), Spray Applicator, Spray Technician (Spray Tech), Sprayer

Occupation-Specific Information

Tasks

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

Work Activities

  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Performing General Physical Activities — Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment — Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
  • Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
  • Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Monitoring and Controlling Resources — Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
  • Working with Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Selling or Influencing Others — Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.

Detailed Work Activities

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Work Context

  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals — 58% responded “A lot of freedom.”
  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 72% responded “A lot of freedom.”
  • Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets — 55% responded “Every day.”
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
  • Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions — 14% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
  • Telephone Conversations
  • Frequency of Decision Making — 41% responded “Every day.”
  • E-Mail — 42% responded “Every day.”
  • Exposed to Contaminants — 14% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls — 44% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions — 66% responded “More than half the time.”
  • Exposed to Hazardous Conditions — 44% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Health and Safety of Other Workers — 31% responded “Very high responsibility.”
  • Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures — 56% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 40% responded “Very important.”
  • Contact With Others — 42% responded “Constant contact with others.”
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 49% responded “Important results.”
  • Duration of Typical Work Week — 64% responded “More than 40 hours.”
  • In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment — 28% responded “Never.”
  • Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities — 54% responded “Very important.”
  • Deal With External Customers or the Public in General — 41% responded “Important.”
  • Spend Time Standing — 68% responded “More than half the time.”
  • Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body — 41% responded “More than half the time.”
  • Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable — 36% responded “Every day.”
  • Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers — 21% responded “Very high responsibility.”
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks — 26% responded “Very important.”
  • Spend Time Walking or Running — 30% responded “About half the time.”
  • Written Letters and Memos — 39% responded “Every day.”
  • Work Schedules — 18% responded “Regular (established routine, set schedule).”
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team — 26% responded “Very important.”
  • Time Pressure — 42% responded “Once a year or more but not every month.”

Experience Requirements

Job Zone

Title
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Education
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Related Experience
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Job Training
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Job Zone Examples
These occupations involve following instructions and often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include dishwashers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, counter and rental clerks, dental laboratory technicians, and security guards.
SVP Range
(Below 6.0)

Training & Credentials

State training
Local training
Certifications
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State licenses

Apprenticeship Opportunities

Example apprenticeship titles for this occupation:

  • Agricultural Service Worker

Specific title(s) listed above are vetted by industry and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor for use in a Registered Apprenticeship Program.

Start your career and build your skillset. Visit Apprenticeship.gov to learn about opportunities related to this occupation.

Worker Requirements

Software Skills

Hot Technologies are requirements most frequently included across all employer job postings.

Essential Skills

No essential skills met the minimum score.

Transferable Skills

  • Operations Monitoring — Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  • Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Knowledge

  • 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.
  • English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
  • 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.
  • Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • Production and Processing — Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • 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.
  • Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Transportation — Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Education

How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:

  • 83%
     
    High school diploma or equivalent required
  • 13%
     
    Post-secondary certificate required
  • 2%
     
    Some college, no degree required

Worker Characteristics

Abilities

  • Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Control Precision — The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Manual Dexterity — The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Multilimb Coordination — The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Trunk Strength — The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
  • Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Far Vision — The ability to see details at a distance.
  • Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Static Strength — The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Interests

Interest code: RC
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  • Realistic — Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
    • Physical/Manual Labor — Work involves manually unloading and moving freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or performing other physical labor.
    • Transportation/Machine Operation — Work involves driving vehicles, such as vans, trucks, trains, and buses to transport people or materials. Work can also involve operating heavy equipment, such as cranes, forklifts, bulldozers, and backhoes to move materials or earth.
    • Agriculture — Work involves planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops, plants, or trees, or raising farm animals. Work can also involve preparing plant and animal products for distribution to consumers, or protecting natural resources to maximize their use in farming.
  • Conventional — Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Work Styles

  • Cautiousness — A tendency to be careful, deliberate, and risk-avoidant when making work-related decisions or doing work.
  • Attention to Detail — A tendency to be detail-oriented, organized, and thorough in completing work.
  • Dependability — A tendency to be reliable, responsible, and consistent in meeting work-related obligations.

Workforce Characteristics

Wages & Employment Trends

Median wages (2025)
$22.28 hourly, $46,340 annual
State wages
Local wages
Employment (2025)
25,700 employees
Projected growth (2025-2035)
Average (3% to 4%)
Projected job openings (2025-2035)
3,300
State trends
Top industries (2025)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data and 2025-2035 employment projections . “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2025-2035). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Job Openings on the Web

State job openings
Local job openings

More Information

Professional Associations

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National Associations