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De-bugging mission: Airmen rid Shaw of rodents

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Michael A. Cossaboom
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  As the Airman put on their gloves and grabbed their gear, they approached the cage with caution, hoping for a catch. "Gotcha!" was the exact tone and feeling that could be felt as the door to a raccoon cage slammed shut. A furry creature inside peered from the cage as Airmen removed it from the area.

Two pest management specialists left the cage near Palmetto Chapel here hoping to catch any pesky creatures in the area, and sure enough, two days later the raccoon was caught.

With about 180 positions for Airmen to be pest management specialists, very few are selected to do the job.

After completing six weeks of training at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, Airman 1st Class Colin Hundt, who's assigned to the 20th Civil Engineer Squadron here, became one of the few Airmen who get to make a living by keeping the mission de-bugged and rodent free.

Pest management specialists are in charge of animal control on base to include insects, rodents, predatory animals and birds. Pest management specialists are also in charge of airfield grass maintenance and inspecting food handling agencies for insects and vermin.

"Sometimes people don't take into consideration how important our job is," said Airman 1st Class Valerie Shinwen, 20th CES pest management specialist. We're in charge of making sure that there are no bugs or rodents where people work."

Rats and mice can carry diseases such as leptospirosis, which can cause lung bleeding, murine typhus, leads to headaches and rashes, and rat bite. If an Airman were to be infected by one of these diseases it could detract from the overall mission. This is what Shinwen and his team help avoid, he explained.

"Rodents can make people sick," said Shinwen. "If people get sick that affects the mission; people can't do their job, people can't deploy, and that could all be because of one little rat, so that's why the Air Force needs us."

Hundt, with two years of active duty service, is the Airman in charge of a three Airman shop while his supervisors are deployed.

The small shop is in no shortage of business. The Airmen do anywhere from five to 15 jobs a week and that doesn't include checking the traps around base, inspecting foods agencies, and required bug exterminations, explained Hundt.

The pest management team captures and relocates approximately 25 animals per year.

"The job takes me all over the place," said Hundt as he reminisced on all the work he's done. "One of my favorites was working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture testing wasp pheromones by Poinsett Range."

The mission was to find the right wasp pheromone that would attract and trap wasps in order to control the population.

With summer just around the corner the pest problem around base is likely to increase, explained Hundt.

"Wasps are a big problem in the summer, they'll get into any crevice that they can find, so you have to be mindful of them," Hundt continued.

"If you encounter a wasp, just let it do its thing, don't swat at it or scream, just stay calm," said Hundt. "If you encounter a wasp nest on base, leave it alone and put in a work order with 20th CES."

With the raccoon in the cage, the two Airmen pushed the cage against a fence. One Airman lifted up the fence while the other opened the cage. The raccoon sprinted out of its cage and ran off into the woods -- another animal relocated thanks to Shaw's pest management team.