Fleas are more than just a biting nuisance – they can transmit several diseases to both humans and animals, particularly to pets. If you suspect that fleas have invaded your home and are terrorizing your pet, our team at Quality Affordable Pest Control can help. When you start to notice excessive scratching from your dog or cat, start by inspecting their skin and fur to determine if you do in fact, have a flea problem. Ignoring these signs will not only make your pet suffer more, but it can intensify the problem, allowing the fleas to reproduce quickly and eventually infest your carpeting, furniture, and more
Fleas feed on your pets for nourishment. They will bite their skin, suck their blood and then reproduce. This process not only causes pain and irritation for your pet, but also it can also result in secondary skin infection resulting from scratching or dermatitis. Fleas transmit disease-causing pathogens as well as tapeworms to pets. To make matters worse, if the fleas are not controlled, severe infestations can lead to a serious medical condition if not treated can result in death.
After they have feasted, female fleas will lay their eggs on your pet, the host, in batches of up to 40 to 50 eggs. The eggs can also be deposited in pet bedding material or in cracks and crevices near by. The eggs will then hatch into larvae within 2 to 12 days. This larval stage can last for up to 200 days. The larvae will feed on organic debris, adult flea feces, and even your pets’ skin until conditions are right for them to pupate and weave a cocoon. They can remain dormant for several months until the conditions are just right for the adult flea to emerge. Once the final stage has (pupae) been completed, the adults will merge from the pupal cocoons and look for a host to start feeding on – your pet.
Fleas are very difficult to control because of their size and ability to live on and off pets in other parts of the house and outdoors. To completely get rid of them, you need an intergraded, comprehensive treatment to kill the fleas in all life cycles, not just the adults, both indoors and outdoors as well as on the pets. This includes setting up flea traps around your home and using a flea collar and shampoo on your pet to target the adults. Vacuuming and steam cleaning of the home should be used to remove/ kill the fleas that are developing and hiding in the furniture and carpeting. For effective control, the above methods should be supplemented with strict application of appropriately registered and labeled flea products such as insect growth regulator (IGR) and insecticides, which is always best serviced by a professional pest control personnel.
The best residential pest control service is one that focuses on what you and your family needs – and that it is a safe, effective, and environmentally-friendly pest or wildlife control solution. The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach is the recommended way to efficiently eliminate pests without harming you, your family and pets, and the environment.
