With summer coming on, controlling fleas for a lot of properties are experiencing difficulty in getting rid of them. In fact, just recently I returned from a holiday in Sydney to find a house full of fleas had moved in and taken over.
This is a common problem in many homes around this time of year. So in this blog, let us take a look at the life cycle of fleas, simple ways to controlling fleas and products you can use to keep them at bay around your home.
Facts about fleas 
• Flea larvae require a warm humid environment to survive. Although they are common on the carpet and pet bedding, they also survive well outside in summer, in damp, sandy soils, in the shade. Any such sites which are visited by the pet (for example under the house or deck) could be a source of infestation.
• Flea pupae can remain dormant for many months, waiting for a potential host to walk by before emerging. They detect the vibrations of a passing animal before emerging from the pupa and jumping onto the host.
• Adult female fleas require a blood meal before laying eggs.
• Flea Pupae are resistant to most consumer insecticides. After a treatment, pupae may continue to hatch for 2-4 weeks after treatment. This can sometimes give the homeowner the impression the treatment has not worked. However, most of these adult fleas will pick up the residual insecticide on the carpet and subsequently die.
Flea Prevention Tips
As usual, prevention is always better than a cure. So always keep your pet flea treatments up to date, whether it is the drops you place on their necks or tablets of flea collars. Regular vacuuming of all carpeted areas and placing the waste into an airtight bag to prevent fleas from escaping. If possible by not letting your pet frequenting subfloor areas.
How did my pet get fleas?
There are lots of ways that your pet can get fleas. The dog park is one of the most common ways your pet gets fleas. When your pet comes in contact with the neighbour’s pets or even through the fence in another common way.
When your cat goes wondering the streets it may come back with fleas and pass them onto other pets of you. You can also bring them into the house on your socks after visiting a friend’s house that has fleas. Mice and rats can also bring them into your house so by keeping those under control may help to avoid fleas entering your home.
Tips in Controlling Fleas
• So if you have a suspected flea outbreak, the first steps are to vacuum the whole house (carpeted areas, timber and tile floors and furniture). Make sure you clean furniture, down cracks in furniture and around edges of the room. Immediately bag the contents of the vacuum cleaner in a sealed plastic bag and place in the garbage.
• Pets should also be treated with an appropriate pet treatment.
• All affected rooms should then be treated with a total release aero (fogger or “flea bomb”).
• Under furniture areas or other “dead spots” in the room should be treated with a suitable aerosol or ready to use pump pack.
• Exterior pet resting areas should be treated with a product labelled for such use. A ready to use pump pack is ideal. Insecticide granules may also be an alternative.
What to do when treating your pets
Pets should be excluded from the area during treatment and afterwards until the treatment is dry. All sub-floor areas should be treated and subsequently sealed to prevent future access.
As you can see fleas can be a big problem in your home if not treated right away and can easily get out of hand. It is believed that the black plaque was started with fleas carrying the disease on the backs of rats. Although that’s won’t happen here fleas can carry diseases such as tapeworm and murine typhus.
I hope this blog helps a little in preventing or controlling fleas in your home, for professional help call Deluxe for Pest Control services today and we will get rid of them for you.
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