Eddie Parker of Envirocare takes care of pests from Calera to Hayden. Here, he sprays an office in Gardendale.

Most people hope they’ll never have to call somebody in Eddie Parker’s position, but are always happy to see him when they do.

Parker is a “pest technician,” or what most people would call an exterminator. He works for a company called Envirocare, and he says they keep him busy in the north Jefferson County area.

When Parker enters a customers’ office or residence, the first thing he usually does is start hitting common entryways for pests, usually baseboards and basements, with a special, odorless chemical called “Suspend” that he sprays out of a classic pump sprayer.

There are, however, a few jobs that Parker performs that do come with a degree of danger. He has to wear a face mask whenever he does an “attic bomb,” which involves heavily saturating an attic with a special canister of poison.

Parker’s coverage area stretches from as far as south Calera to Hayden and Warrior, which means he spends a lot of time on the road.

“There’s a lot of driving. You have to manage your area well, or you’ll waste a lot of time and gas on the road,” he said. In addition to learning his route well, Parker said he’s improved and learned much in the time he’s worked his job.

He said the most challenging pest he deals with is ants, whose sheer numbers can make wiping them out difficult.