Keeping You And Your Pets Flea Free
If you have pets, fall is the time of year when you may start noticing fleas popping up on their fur or even your furniture. Fleas can even appear in homes without pets by hitching rides on mice or other rodents.
Fleas are not only annoying, but can also cause itching, skin problems, or even infections. Because they reproduce rapidly, laying up to 50 eggs per day, fleas in the home should be addressed quickly before they become a bigger problem.
About Fleas
Fleas will feed on any warm blooded animal, including humans. The average female flea consumes 15 times its own body weight in blood every day, and can lay approximately 2,000 eggs in its lifetime. With such a rapid reproduction rate, it is necessary to eliminate flea infestations as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
What To Do If You Find Fleas In Your Home
Like dust mites, fleas are attracted to soft fabrics and moist dusty areas. One simple solution is to replace the cloth and fabric in your home with other materials. Remove rugs and carpets in favor of wooden floors, or replace curtains with blinds. Less fabric and cloth will make your residence far easier to clean and maintain, and fleas will have fewer locations to hatch their eggs.
If replacing your furniture, drapery or other household items seems impractical or undesirable, don’t worry; there are plenty of alternative solutions. Vacuum your entire living area regularly, paying close attention to corners and baseboards. Vacuum all carpets, rugs, furniture, and especially areas where your pets spend the most time. Fleas like to hide in dark areas, so make sure to vacuum under the bed and sofa as well. As an added bonus, the vibrations from the vacuum might stimulate the fleas to emerge from their cocoons, exposing them to any insecticides you may use.
Lastly, be sure to wash and launder your bedding, clothing, towels, and rugs using the hottest setting possible. You may choose to pressure clean your carpets. Afterward, ventilate all areas of the house properly, otherwise you may once again promote a damp environment where fleas will thrive.
Controlling Fleas On Dogs And Cats
Regularly combing your pets for fleas is a good way to provide immediate relief to your furry, four-legged friends, but there’s no way to ensure that you’ve effectively eradicated all of the fleas with just a comb. Bathing your animals with flea shampoo will kill fleas on the spot.
After your pets are clean and dry, it’s important to note that the flea shampoo will usually provide no lasting benefits, and will do nothing to prevent fleas from latching on to your animals in the future. At this point, it would be wise to apply a topical treatment to your pet, and continue to apply medication every 30 days. Use flea treatments only for the animals they are meant to be used on. A flea treatment meant for dogs can easily kill a cat.
Use A Fogger Or Consult With A Professional Pest Control Company
Serious flea problems may require more aggressive measures, such as flea foggers. Place area foggers on stools or tables in the middle of each large room in your house. Open all doors and drawers before fogging. Some foggers do not kill flea eggs, so you may need to fog again two weeks after the initial treatment. During each application, all humans and pets — don’t forget the fish — will need to evacuate the house for the duration recommended on the product packaging.
One last tip: Because fleas can hitch a ride on rats or mice, you may need to eliminate rodents from your home before you can completely stop a flea problem.
Need help getting a flea or rodent problem under control? The experienced professionals at JP Pest Services can rid your home of fleas quickly and completely. Contact JP Pest Services to request a free residential estimate for flea treatment today.
