Fleas are not only prevalent in unclean environments, even the cleanest and healthy pets suffer from flea infestation. Once fleas have access to your home, it spreads quickly even before you notice their activities. In colder months, their activities are reduced because freezing temperatures eliminate many outdoor pests including fleas. However, flea infestation is all year-round challenge due to several warm places flea can hide. Nonetheless, you can prevent your four-legged best friend from flea infestation if you take the right step.
What Are Fleas?
Fleas are tiny, wingless insects that are common pests of wildlife like rabbits and raccoons. When wild flea-infected critters get to your yard, they leave flea eggs that grow into adult fleas in search of a home. Your unsuspecting pets may wander to off to the yard and get infested with fleas. Unfortunately, immediately these fleas find suitable hosts, they start breeding almost immediately. This is why getting rid of fleas from your home and pets can be challenging, especially, when you do not know the right thing to do. Preventing fleas from your home is a lot easier than getting rid of it.
The Life Cycle Of Fleas
The life cycle of fleas mostly starts and ends on a host animal; adult fleas usually spend their lives on the infected host, they feed, mate and reproduce eggs. The eggs drop to the ground once laid, hatch and then develop into larvae, which source their food from organic material. Infested pets’ beddings are usually loaded with eggs and larvae, but too tiny to be seen with our eyes. With time, the larvae spin a cocoon, develop into pupae and then into adult fleas that hatch out and seek a host to live.
The eggs cannot survive the freezing temperature of winter, but they can sustain it if they are living in nests, burrows or your home. Getting a professional flea control operator is essential because a single pair of fleas can lead to a massive household infestation in just weeks.
Signs Of Flea Infestation
It is difficult to see fleas with the naked eye, especially when they are hiding in the thick hair coat of cats and dogs. An adult flea is as small as a sesame seed, and they sometimes can be seen scurrying in the hair coat of your pet. The only sure sign of flea infestation is the continuous scratching and biting of your pet. Sometimes, your dogs may scratch to the extent of causing raw areas of skin infection.
Some pets are allergic to fleas; just a single bite can set off intense itching and red, sore, infected spots. In addition, you can see flea dirt (dried flea excrement) as you groom your pets.
Several safe and flea products are available to exterminate and prevent flea infestation. Some treatments last for weeks after a single application. Flea shampoos and flea combs are part of the effective flea treatments. However, it is necessary to ask the vet before purchasing any product from the counter. Consult your local pest control operator on how to exterminate existing fleas from your home and yard.