So you think your business is tough? Try wrestling alligators, wrangling snakes and tackling psychotic raccoons when you go to work. Air Force veteran Billy Bretherton, star of the hit series “the Exterminators” on A&E, is part owner of Benton, La--based Vexcon Pest Control and spends his days eradicating the worst imaginable vermin infestations.

In 1987, Billy enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and originally intended to pursue a career in law enforcement, but his high scores on the ASVAB test led him down a different path.

“Uncle Sam thought I’d be better suited for biology or chemistry so they put me in the field of entomology, which is the study of insects,” Bretherton said.

After four years in the Air Force, he went to work for an exterminator in New Jersey. His parents wanted to retire and move back to Louisiana where they originally hailed. Bretherton founded Vexcon in 1996 with his father Bill Sr. (who is a Coast Guard veteran) and his brother, Rick, his wife, Mary, and his mother, Donnie are all still active in the business today.

“When we first moved down to Louisiana, we had to take the most extreme jobs because that was all that was available,” Bretherton said.  “The craziest thing I had to do was clear a duck blind that was full of water moccasins. Me and my brother cleared about 10 of ‘em out of there. There were coming out of the walls and the ceiling and swimming between our legs. It was an absolute nightmare in there.”
 

Taking it to Television

Local media outlets caught wind of some of Vexcon’s more intense outings and started to cover its exploits.

“That footage got on to the Internet and some Hollywood producers found us and led to an episode on ‘Dirty Jobs’ in 2005. Eventually, we became one of the highest rated shows on the Discovery network.”

That popularity led the producers to create “the Exterminators” and give the Bretherton’s their very own show. The show airs on

www.aetv.com/the-exterminators

In this funny family docusoap about the zaniest pest removal company on the planet, we join Billy Bretherton and his family members as they are called to take care of Louisiana's worst pest problems. And it's a big business in the swamp-like state of Louisiana. Although there are numerous other pest control companies in the state, Vexcon is the only team that handles all types of animal removal. From tiny ants to giant snakes, Billy and his team have seen everything.

Keeping it in the family, Billy runs Vexcon with the help of his brother Rick, who he describes as "just as crazy as me," his droll father Bill Sr., his sassy Mom Donnie, who runs the offices, and his beloved wife Mary. A former US Air Force Sergeant, and a 15-year pest management industry veteran, Billy has taken a militaristic approach to pest control - and is emerging a victor.

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