01/01/1980 53990

FOREST INSECT PEST AIDE 2

DEFINITION: This is semi-skilled manual work as a lead worker at a forest pest laboratory.

An employee in this class is responsible for leading lower level employees in the manual activities of a laboratory work unit or a field crew involved in parasite rearing, host rearing, diet preparation, insect isolation, and/or collecting data from field plots. Work involves maintaining daily and monthly production records, reviewing production records to ensure proper production levels, determining if insects are parasitized, assisting technical and professional employees during experiments, and ensuring that equipment and rooms are properly maintained. Work also involves determining the number of employees needed to maintain production levels, training new employees, assigning work, and reviewing work for completeness. Work is assigned in the form of detailed written instructions and reviewed upon completion by a technical or professional supervisor for quality, completeness, and goal attainment.

EXAMPLES OF WORK: Recommends the number of people needed in a work unit.

Trains employees by showing them what to do or assigns new employees to an experienced employee for training.

Assigns work to employees in specific areas such as diet preparation, insect feeding, insect sorting by size, insect placement in appropriate containers, equipment cleaning, and work area cleaning.

Maintains daily and monthly reports on the number of diets prepared, insects produced, insects parasitized, and the number of insects collected.

Determines if insects are parasitized or diseased by visual observation, x-raying, or dissecting.

Receives field samples and organizes them according to location.

Maintains and reviews production records to ensure that the proper amounts of parasites, host, and diet cups are produced.

Observes and records the number of cups damaged from environmental conditions.

Performs lead work duties in the areas of host rearing, parasite and disease rearing, diet preparation, and insect quarantining.

Assists technical and professional employees in performing insect and disease experiments, identification, and surveys; and constructing displays.

Takes and develops x-rays, by using low voltage x-ray machinery and photographic developing equipment.

Describes orally or in writing visual observations to a technical or professional employee.

Maintains rooms and equipment to ensure appropriate environmental conditions, such as humidity and temperature.

Performs related work as required.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: Knowledge of the methods, materials and procedures used in insect and disease rearing in a forest pest laboratory.

Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.

Ability to assign and review work performed by lower level employees.

Ability to count and read and write English at the GED 3 level.

Ability to perform assigned tasks according to prescribed procedures and make accurate observations relating to test results.

Ability to identify potential or existing problems associated with insect rearing.

Ability to identify the various hosts and parasites experimented with in a forest pest laboratory.

Ability to identify and separate by size, color and body features.

Ability to use a variety of equipment in a forest pest laboratory, such as an autoclave, biotron, dehairing machine, blender, dishwasher, still, and low voltage x-ray machinery.

Ability to use a variety of instruments in a forest pest laboratory, such as an electronic scale and psychrometer.

Ability to clean and sterilize laboratory equipment.

Ability to operate a motor vehicle to drive to an insect collection
area.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING: One year of experience as a Forest Insect Pest Aide 1, or any equivalent combination of experience and/or training which afforded the applicant with the above listed required knowledge and abilities.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: Possession of a valid motor vehicle operator's license.6