Insect Trapper

Job Title:  Insect Trapper (Seasonal)
Location:  Taylorsville
Schedule:  Monday to Thursday (10 hour days)

Job Description:
The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) Insect Program monitors for exotic insect pests that are agriculturally significant. The program is seeking qualified candidates to place, service, and retrieve insect traps along the Wasatch Front. This position requires extensive driving and involves working with the public.

Trappers report to work Monday through Thursday, 7:00 am to 5:30 pm (10-hour days, with three-day weekends). This position begins in early May and ends in mid-October. The work location is based in West Valley City (Salt Lake County). $16.50 is the starting wage, with the potential for raises for employees who return to work in future seasons.

The Agency:
If you want more informatiobn about working for the Department of Agriculture and Food please click here.

• Driving to preselected locations and placement of insect traps and lures.
• Reading maps.
• Recording placement, servicing and retrieval of traps in a GPS device.
• Seeking verbal permission to place traps on private property.
• Safely operating a vehicle.
  

• The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
• The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
• The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• The ability to see details at a distance.
• The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
• Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• 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.
• Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Knowledge of applications and programming.
• Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Risks which require the use of special safety precautions and/or equipment, e.g., working around operating machines, working with contagious diseases or hazardous chemicals, etc.
• Valid driver license required to drive a motor vehicle on a highway in this state per UCA53-3-202(1)(a).
• Work requires physical exertion. May require the ability to stand; walk over rough surfaces; bend, crouch, stoop, stretch, reach, lift moderately heavy items (up to 50 lbs.) in a recurring manner and/or for long periods of time.
• Self-motivated and enjoy being outdoors. Significant portions of this job involve driving. Qualified candidates must be able to perform physical activity in a recurring manner for long periods of time. This sometimes involves working in inclement weather, including but not limited to: rain, snow, hail and extremes in cold and heat. 
• Be friendly with the public.
• Willingness to work with insects.
• For questions about this position contact Kristopher Watson, Program Manager:  kwatson@utah.gov

Why You Should Join Our Team:
This is an entry-level, non-benefitted position for persons seeking seasonal work or to build a resume for a future career. Past employees have gone on to full-time careers at USDA APHIS, USDA NRCS, Utah DNR, Utah GRC, Salt Lake City Urban Forestry and UDAF.

Salary : $13 - $19