Pests no match for ‘Bug Girl’

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Michael O’Connor
  • 447th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFPN) --  Being a “Bug Girl” does not bother Senior Airman Amy Arriola, the lone pest controller at Camp Sather here.

Even though she is far from both her tropical island home of Guam and her civilian job as a flight attendant, Airman Arriola said she is happy to lend a helping hand to her fellow Airmen and Soldiers by zapping bugs.

Forced to look elsewhere for work to after being furloughed by the airlines following the Sep. 11 terrorist attacks, Airman Arriola turned to the Air National Guard. To her family’s surprise, she decided to become a pest controller.

“I didn’t want a desk job ... I wanted a challenge,” said the 30-year-old mother of three.

Airman Arriola’s mission here is to prevent or control pests and disease vectors that could affect health or damage property.

“I really enjoy the adventure of being a pest controller and meeting new people,” she said. “I’m amazed at what some people are afraid of.”

Back at Guam, she said she typically responds to calls regarding ants, brown tree snakes and cockroaches. At Camp Sather, she has to respond to calls about camel spiders, crickets, flies, foxes, scorpions, cats, dogs, rodents and venomous snakes.

The funniest thing I’ve ever dealt with here is an individual having an issue with a cricket in the tent,” Airman Arriola said. “I had to (treat the area) twice, because the person kept swearing (the cricket) was still in the tent.”

Ridding her 900-acre territory of its chirping, crawling, flying and slithering neighbors is just part of her job, Airman Arriola said. She also keeps away a different kind of pest -- weeds.

While weeds will not keep an Airman or Soldier awake all night, or nibble on snacks left on a night stand, they can jeopardize the camp’s mission if left untreated, the Airman said. A weed can grow on the taxiway or runway, forcing cracks to form in the pavement as the roots dig in to secure a foothold, creating a potential safety hazard to aircraft. Not to mention, the weeds attract rodents and birds, she said.

“Pest controllers work with all kinds of dangerous herbicides, insecticides and pesticides,” Airman Arriola said. “There’s a lot of safety precautions and paperwork involved.”

While she said this is the longest she has ever been away from her family, they are used to “mom the bug killer” -- as her children now call her -- being on the road because of her flight attendant job.

“My children and their friends find it really interesting that their mom deals with little critters and snakes,” she said. “When I’m at home, the kids call me when they see a snake; (they do not call) my spouse, as he’s afraid of them.”