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Rosemount Mosquito Field Technician Pablo Stilwell
June 18-24, 2023 is National Mosquito Control Awareness Week! MMCD will be highlighting the various people that protect the public from disease and annoyance caused by mosquitoes, ticks, and black flies. Stay tuned to our website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for updates throughout the week!
Mosquito Field Technicians at the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District are some of the most critical parts of our team. Each year around 180 seasonal employees join us as mosquito, catch basin, or lab technicians. These individuals come from a variety of backgrounds and career stages. Today we catch up with two field technicians from our Rosemount facility:
Pablo Stilwell, Mosquito Field Technician
Mike Novacek, Mosquito Field Technician
How long have you been working at MMCD?
PABLO: This is my first season. Been working for about a month now.
MIKE: This is my 4th season at MMCD.
What were you doing before this?
PABLO: I worked at a lab at the U of M and will go back to that after summer.
MIKE: I spent 39 years working at UPS mostly as a delivery driver.
Run me through a day on the job.
PABLO: At the start of the day, you get an assignment, you grab material and then you drive off. You'll be treating a bunch of different things that can hold water, depending on what your task is for that day.
MIKE: Our workday starts at 6:30 with a group meeting with our field supervisor where our work assignments are given for the day. The work varies from treatment sites for larval control or working on the helicopter crew. We often meet for lunch to divide up the workload.
What’s the coolest part of this job
PABLO: Autonomy and exploration are the coolest parts for me.
MIKE: The coolest part of the job is working in nature, walking in wetland,s and cattail sites. It's a plus to see wildlife.
Mosquito field technician Mike Novacek
Tell me a time about a wacky story working here?
PABLO: I was walking through a suburb and an old man stopped me and told me I was his hero.
MIKE: I once saw newborn Fawns and Sandhill Crane Chicks.
What have you learned while working here?
PABLO: I've learned a lot about mosquito anatomy and the environment in general.
MIKE: Most landowners really appreciate us, but some don't know what we are doing. Once they know what we are doing they really appreciate us.
How does this job play a larger role in your career journey?
PABLO: This job helped me get experience working in the field. Which I think will be very useful in the future.
Stay tuned for new highlights each day this week to celebrate National Mosquito Control Awareness Week! Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for mosquito control tips and news!
