Edward Sam Hanson is the person faculty and students contact when they have a pest problem. He arrives at the scene, prepared, in what he calls the van of death.
Hanson is Ohio University's environmental health coordinator and has been the only structural exterminator since 1994. He also is the health inspector for food, concession stands and fire safety. In addition, Hanson works with programs for communicable disease, solid waste, recreational sanitation, injury prevention and special events. His salary is $56,215.
Hanson said he receives five to six complaints per day and tries to respond to a complaint within 24 hours. Ants are the most common complaint and made up 42 percent of all 784 complaints in 2006 and 30 percent of all 6,545 complaints from 1999 to 2006.
The new South Green buildings have the most problems with ants because they are newer, Hanson said, but almost every building is susceptible to problems.
When there is a pest complaint, Hanson mixes the necessary pesticides, brings any necessary traps or cages and loads them into the university-owned vehicle.
Hanson said he estimates that the university spends $3,000 worth of traps, chemicals, kits and materials per year.
The grossest incident Hanson said he ever encountered was in the Konneker Alumni Center a few years ago.
The basement smelled like death and I had to use a mask
he said. I found a semi-liquefied cat.
Despite this experience, Hanson said he has not had any major incidents since he came in 1994, but has been bitten a few times by squirrels. To prevent rabies he is given pre-exposure rabies shots.
Rabies was not a problem for sophomore Dharma Valentin, who lives in Cady Hall on South Green and experienced a pest problem two weeks ago. Instead, the problem was ants.
They were in my closet near my desk and near my garbage can. I didn't call the exterminator because I thought it wasn't that big of a problem and I thought he would be booked.
Valentin's friend used the next-best thing to Hanson ' Raid insecticide ' and hasn't seen any ants since.
If they come back I will call the exterminator
Valentin said.
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Emilie Schneider
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