Pests don't bug BHC woman

By ALICE POPOVICI

The Daily News

BULLHEAD CITY - Maneuvering a long hose around plants and rockwork outside a Ridgeview Avenue home, Shirleen Rukas covers the base of the structure with an even stream of pesticide.

“Basically, it's a perimeter barrier,” she said. “The way I'm doing this out here doesn't give the bug that much time to live.”

But the key word here is pests - not bugs - she added, because not all critters are considered pests.

“A ladybug can be a pest to somebody but not a pest to somebody else.”

That distinction varies from customer to customer, said the pest control technician who routinely sprays Tri-state residences for crickets, roaches, ants, scorpions, moths, spiders, earwigs and centipedes, and it makes her challenging job all the more interesting.

After 10 years working as a cook in Laughlin casino kitchens, Rukas, 27, says she's found her niche as a pest control professional with Adieux Termite & Pest Control, where she's worked since October.

The job holds everything she's looking for, she said: Variety, a pleasant working environment, a flexible schedule and constant opportunities to meet new people. She hopes to make a career out of it.

But keeping area homes pest-free isn't as simple as aiming a bottle of pesticide at the problem, Rukas said. Not only is the initial training rigorous, but the career is an ongoing learning process.

Rukas, who holds a general applicator's license and is preparing to take a termite certification test, said many underestimate the amount of work and dedication her profession requires.

“A lot of people seem to think it's a kick back and spray (job),” she said.

Sure, that's mostly what she does - treating the inside and outside of homes, as well as crawling underneath trailers to eliminate common household pests - but to get to that point she had to work her way through a few thick books on chemicals, application techniques, laws as well as insect biology and entomology.

“I have a book just on ants, and I couldn't believe the different shapes of them and looks and everything,” Rukas said. “There's so much to know.”

Though Rukas has studied extensively the living habits of fire ants, carpenter ants, acrobat ants and pavement ants, among others, exterminating the small insect continues to be her biggest challenge.

“They're more of a menace than anything (else) ... unless you know where they harborage at, it's very hard to pinpoint where they're coming from.”

And unless the pest control technician has properly identified and thoroughly destroyed the ant colony, they often start up somewhere else.

To rid homes of the little scavengers, Rukas said she places granular ant bait around the infested home.

Then she waits.

“I've stood there and watched thousands of ants come out of their hole and they'll take the ant bait and give it to their queen,” she explained. “And it'll kill them off - hopefully before they move.”

But ants are just one part of Rukas' long, hectic days. She said she usually gets up around 3:30 a.m. to prepare breakfast and take her 3-year-old twin sons, her 7-year-old son and her 9-year-old daughter to day care and school. The busy mom, who lives in Bullhead City with her husband, also has a 15-year-old stepdaughter.

She said she averages between 15-20 calls daily, depending on the season, with the busiest time being the summer months.

One thing she's noticed is some people's surprise at her chosen profession.

Rukas said many people react with “Oh my gosh, you're a girl!”

But a girl can do anything, she added, saying she enjoys being one of the few women in a male-dominated profession.

“Part of it is to prove to people you can when they think you can't.”