How To Get Rid Of Fleas

Tiny, tough to locate at first glance, and always hungry for an animal or human host: This explains why fleas deserve your attention if they’ve gained entry to your home.

Once inside, they look for a consistent meal by attaching to your pet or even to you. These insects also bear resemblance to ticks and bed bugs, which means you need to know which pest you’re dealing with.

Fleas and bedbugs are both classified as insects, yet ticks are part of the arachnid family.

While bedbugs are not known to carry disease, fleas and ticks can spread a range of serious and even life-threatening illnesses.

Fleas are the smallest, at about 1/10 inch; bedbugs measure about 1/5 inch long, and adult ticks measure about 2/5 inch.

Historically, fleas have played a large role in extending the spread of lethal diseases. This dates to the plague known as the “Black Death” that killed a quarter of the population of Europe in the 14th century. Scientists have now discovered more than 2,000 species of fleas worldwide. Within the U.S., there are five main types that pose a concern for pet owners and homeowners. Let’s discuss each…

In rare cases, a bite can produce a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, which can be life threatening. If you are bitten by a flea, take the following steps:

• Wash the bitten area
• Use an antiseptic solution and don’t scratch at the bite
• If the bite produces puss, check with your doctor

South and Southwestern States

In these regions, flea activity is a constant. Temperatures of 65-80 degrees and humidity of 75-85 percent offer ideal conditions. However, the extreme heat of mid-to-late summer can kill off some fleas and their eggs. Mild winters in these states do little to change flea behavior.

Northern States

As with the South, spring and summer cause pest activity to spike. Yet it’s winter that produces a dramatic change. When temperatures dip under 32 degrees for several days, adult fleas perish. As resilient as these insects are, their bodies are not meant to weather extreme cold. Thus the chill of winter, coupled with treatment measures, give homeowners the best opportunity to rid their property of fleas altogether.

According to figures noted by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), about 44% of American households own an estimated total of 85.9 million cats and 78 million dogs. When you brought your pet home for the first time, chances are that you had food, fresh water, a bed, and a safe shelter in place. You may have already chosen a vet and scheduled your pet’s first shots or checkup. One thing you may not have prepared for is a flea infestation.

Even if you have never dealt with fleas before, or if your dog or cat was free of fleas before joining your family, chances are that you’ll need to address house fleas at some point. These pests can be brought in from other pets, visitors who have them on their clothes, and especially if your pet goes outdoors often.

Fleas feed on the blood of birds, humans, reptiles and domestic and wild animals. Bloodmeals see them through their four distinct life stages as an egg, larva, pupa and, finally, a biting adult. According to PetMD, a single female flea can consume 15 times her body weight in blood every day, and she can lay 2,000 eggs over the course of her lifetime. In addition, a flea can last for more than 100 days without consuming a meal of blood.

Of the more than 2,000 flea species and subspecies of fleas that are currently known, a single species of flea – the cat flea – makes up the bulk of cat and dog flea infestations found in the United States. Pets with fleas can encounter a number of health problems including tapeworms, anemia, and extreme cases of itching which are known as pruritus. Some dogs and cats develop an allergy to the saliva of fleas, which can lead to intense irritation and severe itchiness. Extreme cases can lead to open sores, infection and more conditions requiring veterinary care.

If a flea infestation becomes bad enough, it could begin to affect your daily life and can turn your home into a miserable living space. That makes it especially important to inspect and identify fleas before attempting to treat them so the infestation from worsening or coming back.

Regardless of which type of flea is affecting your pet, they must all be removed in order to avoid a re-infestation.

Fleas can be found in areas where dust and other organic matter accumulate, including storage spaces with clutter, under your house in crawl spaces, under your furniture, and throughout your yard.

If you have a flea infestation in your home, then nearly 60% of those insects will be in the larval stage. They will then spin a cocoon that provides them with the ideal environment in which to develop into a pupa. After one or two weeks as a pupa, the flea grows into an adult. The adult flea does not always immediately start feeding on a host. It may stay inside the cocoon for as long as five months until a small disturbance — such as an animal passing by and brushing against it or breathing on it — causes it to awaken and begin the search for food.

By taking a few steps for prevention, you can stop an infestation in its tracks and prevent the pupa from growing before you even know they’re there.

Some insecticides are designed to be used on pets. Others, such as sprays and foggers, can be used in your home to start eliminating the flea population.

It is important to know that fleas can become immune to a particular insecticide over a period of time. You may need to change products on a regular basis to keep the flea population under control.

Natural ways to get rid of fleas can involve traps, powders that can be sprinkled around your yard, and predator nematodes that can be mixed with water and used to treat the soil.

Separate from the milder flea sprays that are safe to use on your pets, there are also higher-concentrated versions that are ideal for spraying around your house and yard. In you have an infestation that has spread beyond your pets to carpets and furniture, these sprays are perfect for killing off these fleas and prevent them from continuing to settle down inside your home. You can also use them outside and around the perimeter of your home so that they aren’t likely to follow you or your pets indoors.

Flea bombs and foggers treat severe infestations which professional pest control experts are usually called in to employ. However, these days you can buy the best flea bombs and the best flea foggers on the market and use them for yourself inside your home. Using these products is a lengthy process that requires a lot of time and preparation, so don’t attempt to use them on your own if you don’t think you can.

Before using a fogger or bomb, you need to follow the following steps:

• Sweep and vacuum your entire house
• Cover furniture, electronics, tables and bookshelves with sheets
• Store any any appliances, utensils and food that usually sit on your countertops where they won’t be affected by the chemicals.
• Open inner doors, as well as any drawers, on your cabinets and furniture.
• Close all your windows and make sure they’re properly sealed.
• Make sure all of your clothes are laundered and stored where chemicals can’t reach them.
• Choose an ideal time to set off the bomb, when no pets or humans will be inside the home.
• You’ll need to read the product packaging to know exactly how long you must stay out of the house.

Flea traps are a great added benefit to use around your house. Be aware that they’re usually only trap a fraction of the population. Used in tandem with other thorough treatments, they can catch stray fleas which your other efforts miss.

We’ve put together a list of some of the best flea traps on the market. Most of these attract fleas using light and heat, and they’re equipped with a sticky surface to trap and kill them.

With the growing focus on do-it-yourself projects, it is no surprise that many pet owners try to tackle a flea problem on their own. But when you consider that this could be a constant battle taking weeks, or even months, to resolve, investing in professional help today may be more cost-effective in the long run. If you’ve already identified a large infestation or feel that the safety of your family and pets is at risk, calling an exterminator is called for.They’ll target the entire flea life cycle with things like an insect growth regulator in tandem with other flea prevention tactics.