How did I get fleas?
Usually fleas will be hitching a ride on your indoor/outdoor pets. They tend to hang out in shaded areas in your lawn. Pretty much anywhere you might see your pet resting in the yard the fleas will hang out. Since fleas are parasites they tend to feed on warm-blooded animals. They will feed on humans when pets are not around or the infestation is pretty bad. Fleas can be a pretty serious situation. Flea bites can cause allergic reactions in humans and transmit tapeworms or other parasites to your pets.
How do I know we have fleas?
If you are noticing your pet is constantly scratching and grooming themselves, that is a common sign of a flea infestation. Since the adult fleas feed on the pet’s blood, they are biting and causing your pet itching and discomfort. You may start noticing bites on yourself on any exposed skin (ankles and legs). If you are grooming or petting your pet and notice little black/brown specs moving around through their fur that is a sign of adult fleas. They tend to hang out in the warmer body areas on your pet.
The flea life cycle.
Usually the female adult flea will lay eggs on the host or on the floor. A female flea can lay eggs every day and will end up laying around 200 to 400 eggs in her life cycle. When the eggs hatch they become larvae. The larvae feed off of any organic debris on the floor or in carpet and will feed on adult flea feces. Soon after the larvae stage they will transition to a pupae inside a cocoon. They can emerge from the cocoon under the right conditions in 7-14 days and become an adult flea, starting the life cycle all over again.
How do I get rid of them?
The best thing to do is start a preventative treatment for the fleas. Make sure you are treating your pets for fleas and monitor your pets when they have been to a new area. You can also do preventative measures with your yard if your pets are indoor/outdoor by making sure your lawn is mowed, free of debris and traffic from other animals is minimal.
After you notice an infestation, make sure you are sweeping, mopping and vacuuming all floors where your pet(s) usually hang out. You will need to wash all of your pets bedding frequently or the fabrics where your pet tends to hang out.
Our technicians will come out and do an inspection of the house and property. They will do a treatment inside the house by treating the floors/carpets. It may take a couple of treatments to fully eradicate the fleas because of their life cycle. While our technicians are treating the house, we ask that you are also treating the pet(s) to make sure all bases are being covered.