Fleas

 

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Fleas are parasites that feed on humans and other warm blooded animals. When you have a flea problem you and your pets serve as the host.
A flea can jump 7 to 8 inches vertically and 14 to 16 inches horizontally. A skin reaction to a flea bite appears as a slightly raised and red itchy spot. Sometimes these sores bleed. Fleas usually require warm and humid conditions to develop. Due to the flea life cycle and feeding habits, many people don’t realize they have a flea problem until they are away from their house for an extended period of time. This happens because the fleas get hungry while the hosts are away and they become highly active when the hosts return. People tend to think putting the pet outside will solve the flea problem, but that typically makes the fleas turn to human hosts instead.

Adult Fleas are about 2-7 mm long and brownish in color. Fleas do not have wings but they do have very powerful legs and can jump large distances. Female fleas can live up to 2 years and can lay 25 eggs a day.Their bodies are compressed which allows them to move efficiently through hairs, and their relatively large hind limbs allow them to have excellent jumping qualities. Fleas are small, agile insects that live by feeding on the blood of other animals, usually your furry and harmless cat or dog. Fleas can be a real problem when they invade a household and its inhabitants. Here’s an outline of the different ways to eradicate fleas in both your house and on your pets. 

Adult fleas live exclusively as parasites of warm blooded animals such as cats, dogs and humans. The eggs are slightly sticky and are laid on hair, bedding or clothing of the host. Carpets provide a relatively undisturbed environment for fleas to breed; they can also live in cracks and crevices of bare floors. Adults feed on the blood of the host animal (cat, dog, human). The larvae feed on the droppings of the adults.

The flea can be more than just a severe nuisance, it can be a serious threat to public health. Fleas undergo complete metamorphosis, taking anywhere between a few weeks to over a year to mature from egg to larva to pupa to adult, depending on conditions and host animal availability.

Fleas are usually introduced into a structure by a dog or cat, but they don’t discriminate when it comes to feeding. They will bite human legs and ankles without hesitation leaving behind a very itchy and irritated bump.

When populations grow, these little nuisances become difficult to ignore and professional help is needed. It is also not uncommon to enter a house that has been vacant for up to a year and have hundreds of fleas appear out of “nowhere”. This is due to their ability to remain in their pupal stage for a very long period until they sense the vibrations of a new host. This tells them it is time to emerge and feed.

Flea Control: More than a Pet Problem

Fleas are probably most commonly associated with dogs and cats and other pets. However, fleas are more of a problem than just for pets. Fleas can be transmitted to humans quite easily and they bite, looking for a meal of blood. Flea bites cause itching and can make living uncomfortable, plus they are known to carry a variety of diseases. This is just one reason flea control is especially important.

What makes fleas so potentially dangerous is that they feed on blood. That means that if they bite an animal that is infected with a bloodborne disease, that can be transmitted to whomever or whatever else they bite.

A flea infestation is frustrating because once they get into your home they are very difficult to get rid of. So if you find fleas around your home, your first move should be to call in the professionals who know how to get rid of fleas effectively.

Flea Bites and Flea Treatment

Flea bites result in red spots surrounded by reddened haloes, that are extremely itchy and can cause great discomfort in humans or household pets. Before you begin any flea treatment of your pets flea bites, whether it is a cat flea infestation or a dog flea infestation, we strongly advise that you consult a Veterinarian.

If you are a victim of a flea bite, wash the flea bite, and then use an antiseptic cream, and apply an ice pack, and resist the urge to scratch. Treating flea bites merely addresses one symptom of a flea infestation. Flea extermination methods should be conducted in conjunction with flea bite treatment in order to ensure total flea kill and eradication.

Effective flea control solutions available

There are methods such as foggers and other flea control solutions available over the counter that claim to remove all of the fleas from your home. It’s our experience that these removal methods may not completely eliminate the infestation from your home because they kill the adults but do not deal effectively with eggs and larvae.

Our expert pest control pros are trained to know all about the flea and their life cycle. This allows us to find all of the areas where fleas might hide and where they might breed. That way we kill not only the adult fleas, but eliminate the eggs and larvae. This is key in making sure that fleas do not return once they have been removed.

Our Total Pest Control Services technicians inspect your entire home and talk to you about your flea problems. That way we can come up with the most effective solution to your flea problem, a solution that will not only eliminate fleas, but prevent fleas from coming back and that will work well with your family and pets.

Getting Rid Of Fleas In Your Home

In order to get rid of fleas, to control a cat flea infestation, or a dog flea infestation, the host animal and home must be treated. The affected pet, can be treated by a vet, while the dwelling property can be treated with a spray insecticide.