Do you remember that K9 Advantix Commercial where the cute yellow lab puppy sang “There ain’t no bugs on me. There ain’t no bugs on me. There may be bugs on some of you mugs but there ain’t no bugs on me.”?
At Done Right Pest Solutions, we’d like to change the lyrics for our clients: “There ain’t no bugs in my house, there ain’t no bugs on my spouse…”— OK , we’ll just stick to pest control. Look no further for flea control, including flea prevention and tips for flea treatments than Done Right Pest Solutions.
Done Right Pest Solutions’ Skills:
Song writing: 👎
Humor: 😃
Pest eradication: ✔️ 👍
Table of Contents:
- Life Cycle
- Relationship with humans
- Diseases fleas carry
- What we learned at the 2021 NPMA Pest Management Conference
- How we treat fleas
- How you can treat fleas
- Conclusion & next steps
Speakers at the 2021 NPMA Pest Management Conference showed case studies of why fleas are going to be the pest of this year. Good thing Done Right Pest Solutions has the experienced technicians and dedicated staff to eradicate these pests.
If you’re wondering, “Can pest control get rid of fleas?” The answer is, “Yes!” Done Right Pest Solutions provides quality service that gets rid of fleas. Call today for a free quote: 651-342-9489. Read on to learn more how pest control gets rid of fleas.
Life Cycle
Eggs
An adult flea cannot reproduce until she’s had a blood meal. Female fleas lay tiny, white, oval eggs, between 2 and 10 at a time, 25 to 50 per day. Some species lay their eggs in the home of the host (like a burrow or nest), while other species lay their eggs directly on the host.
The eggs hatch between 2 days and 2 weeks.
Larvae
The larvae are small and pale, they can even seem a bit translucent, though they are typically white. They have very small hair-like bristles protruding from their worm-like bodies. They eat dried feces from adult fleas, which is nutrient rich with blood proteins from their hosts. Their parents literally give them crap to eat, hah.
The larvae also eat dried blood from pets scratching, dead insects and vegetable matter if they can find them. They have no eyes at this point and so they tend to find dark areas like under carpet or in bedding.
Larvae are nimble little worms. They can move 30 feet in that stage. That is quite the distance considering they are just a few millimeters big at this point.
The larvae need high humidity to become pupae, between 70-75% humidity and 70-85 degrees in heat.
This stage lasts between 4 and 18 days.
Pupae
Unlike other insects that molt, like cockroaches or centipedes and millipedes, fleas form cocoons like butterflies. The larvae spin cocoons of silk and wait until the right time to emerge.
So, if you see fleas on the ground it means they just hatched.
The right time is different for every flea, emerging at variable-lengths that can last about 2/3 of a year. They feel it’s the right time to emerge when they feel vibrations.
Vibrations can be people or pets walking (sound), heat (suitable temperatures in houses), and increase of carbon dioxide in the air (active people or pets in an area).
For this reason, some have moved into a new apartment or home and not known of a previous flea infestation, as the pupae were dormant in their cocoons. Either a new move or even introducing a pet to this new environment can wake the pupae up to emerge from their cocoons as adults. This is called a mass emergence.
Adults
Adult fleas can grow to be 1/8 of an inch long. Usually brown in color, but can have gray and red tones.
Once an adult emerges from its cocoon, its main goal is to find a host, consume blood, and reproduce. While the pupae could last nearly 7 months in a cocoon, they only live for 2 to 3 months as an adult. But in that time, females lay about 5000 eggs.
The average flea lives for 2 to 3 months as an adult, but with prime conditions (high humidity, a host, etc.) fleas can live more than 6 months.
Their bodies are laterally compressed and very thin to move between the hairs and feathers of hosts with ease.
Adult fleas have sclerites, which is the hard outer armor of their body that can protect fleas from their host’s scratching and biting. On top of their outer armor, they have little spikey hairs that protrude backwards which also help them navigate a host’s jungle of body fur or feathers.
These insects are flightless. In fact, they don’t even have wings (something most insects have). They do, however, have very strong mouth parts so they can bite into their host. Their claws help them not to become dislodged from their host until they release.
Fleas are known for their jumping ability, at times jumping up to 50 lengths of their bodies, nearly 7 inches in the air.
Did you know that fleas jump the second longest distance of the insect family? Froghoppers jump farther distances.
Relationship with Humans
Most people think fleas don’t bother humans, but that isn’t true. Fleas can bite humans and use them as a host. The biggest threats that fleas pose are the inconvenience and possibility of disease. This means flea control is very important.
Flea bites cause itching and irritation. Their bites can appear like mosquito bites, but the bacteria can form eczematous skin (just like the skin disease eczema) and other dermatitis issues. Any bites will appear in clusters on the host or human.
Another inconvenience is simply getting rid of fleas. At times medications can be prescribed for the effects of fleas as well as for the fleas to die from biting the host (since in some cases with pets, the fleas live on the hosts).
Fleas are also a financial inconvenience. In the United States alone over $2.8 billion is spent by pet owners paying flea-related veterinary bills, while $348 million is spent of pest control of fleas in homes.
Finally, fleas carry harmful bacteria that can lead to devastating diseases, like the bubonic plague. If you have fleas, it is of utmost importance to rid your home of them immediately and flea control a must!
Hosts
Fleas are external parasites that live by eating the blood of a host (birds and mammals). Each flea becomes an expert traveler of their host, and doesn’t typically move host species in their lifetime.
Fleas do occasionally travel from host to host, just in a lot of cases the animal is solitary. Some potential hosts are: humans, dogs, cats, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, ferrets, rats, mice and birds.
We have known of flea infestations that have been caused by birds nesting on or near houses. Another instance is of a raccoon or opossum nesting under a back porch or deck next to a house.
Fleas harbor in tall grasses, and can be passed to cats and dogs like this. Because fleas are so prevalent, it is important to get your cat or dog treated for fleas as soon as you notice the flea activity. Then, have your home treated for flea control too. But don’t worry, the answer to the question, “can pest control get rid of fleas?” is “absolutely!”
Diseases Fleas Carry
Fleas and other pests carry diseases around the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) name the diseases fleas carry inside the United States.
Fleas, but in particular the oriental rat flea, carries the bacteria causing the bubonic plague. Teeny tiny fleas caused the outbreak known as “black death”, by infesting the black rats that were in close proximity to humans.
Fleas are known to be vectors, or agents of travel for the illness and disease they encounter. Fleas spread all kinds of viruses, bacteria, and other disease causing organisms.
Fleas carry typhus and other bacteria causing typhoid fever as well. Because fleas pose such a threat to humans, it ranks flea control in the most important pests to have professionally treated right away.
What We Learned at the 2021 NPMA Pest Management Conference
Pest of the Year:
Speakers showed case studies of why fleas were the pest of that year. Good thing Done Right Pest Solutions has the experienced technicians and dedicated staff to eradicate these pests. In this section we share a few tips for flea treatments and the one, sure-fire natural flea treatment. If you do have a large infestation, however, the best flea control involves calling pest professionals.
Vacuum: Natural/Safe Flea Treatments:
Once they hatch they are easier to vacuum up. And vacuuming alone could be enough to eradicate fleas over time. Vacuum every day for 2 weeks. If you still have fleas, give us a call, as some pesticides might be needed to treat these parasitic pests.
Tips for Flea Treatments:
It is very important to research how to do your own flea treatment. People have self-treated their animals and ended up poisoning them. Veterinarians are trained to treat fleas on pets with a prescription.
It is a misconception that Dawn dish soap can exterminate fleas. While it may help in some cases, in most cases it will irritate both the pet and the owner scrambling to constantly wash everything (including the pet) down with Dawn.
If you’re getting fleas and you don’t have an animal, it means you have a squirrel, raccoon, or some animal in your yard or under the deck.
Interior treatment is necessary, and depending on the circumstance, exterior treatment may be needed as well.
How We Treat Fleas
Because of their parasitic nature, Done Right Pest Solutions treats fleas thoroughly and carefully, like a bed bug treatment. All pests cause irritation, lack of confidence, and in the flea’s case: direct attack upon you as an individual.
No prep work is required for our flea treatment, nor is leaving the premises required. If you so choose, you may go for a walk during or after treatment.
Inspection:
We first inspect the home’s interior, looking for signs of live bugs, eggs, larvae, or pupae. Once activity is determined, our technicians treat with a liquid product along the baseboards of all carpeted areas. The reason for this is because pupae like to hide under the carpet or in wall voids.
Treatment:
This liquid product will dry in about an hour. We strongly recommend not touching the treated areas until dry.
Depending on the circumstances, our technicians may treat sections or entire carpet spaces as they see fit. Our technicians may also use an insect vacuum if the deem it necessary for treatment.
Our staff ensures your pet has been treated for fleas as well, because if you can take away the fleas’ hosting on your pet, fleas are easier to treat.
After the interior treatment, our technicians inspect the exterior of your home. Fleas can live in tall grasses or other plant habitats. He may treat those areas with a liquid product, which will also dry in about an hour.
Finally, he inspects for any sign of wildlife activity. As you learned in the conference section, some flea infestations are caused by a squirrel, raccoon, opossum, etc. that could be living under a deck or porch. He can treat in those areas, but you will need to get any of that wildlife removed to ensure complete flea eradiation.
Follow-up:
A 2 week follow-up is given, and a 3 month warranty from the first service is guaranteed. This comes in handy because every case is different, and we want to be diligent on our end to ensure eradication of fleas.
If you are concerned about your pet and want to discuss regular treatment options for yard treatments, we do have a seasonal Mosquito and Tick Plan that you may be interested in learning more about. Talk to your technician about this if you want to protect your pet from other parasitic pests.
Pro Tip:
Fleas are included in our Peak Seasons Plan. So if you ever have mice, spiders, or stinging insects too, check out that plan as it’s the most pest coverage for the least cost. We wrote an in-depth article “How to Know if the Peak Seasons Plan is for You.”
How You Can Treat for and Prevent Fleas
Pest World gives a lot of tips for flea prevention and flea control in your home with tips and identification guides.
And the CDC states that some severe infestations can take months to eradicate all fleas. This makes sense because fleas are protected inside the shell of the egg and in the cocoon of the pupa, according to Pest World.
When you do take your pets out for walks, keep them away from tall grasses, as those are areas where pests like to hide. This is a great way to prevent them from picking up fleas and ticks.
Clean your home regularly, this includes vacuuming. As we learned in the NPMA 2021 Pest Management Conference section, vacuuming is an easy DIY way to get rid of fleas over time.
Bathe your animal regularly and inspect for any pests like fleas.
Finally, consult your pet’s veterinarian for other ways to keep your pet flea free.
If you’re at your wit’s end with fleas and want to consult a pest control professional to ask, “can pest control get rid of fleas?” we will always be open and honest, give tips and tricks, and explain how we treat too!
Conclusion & Next Steps
You’ve learned a lot in this post about these tiny bugs that carry illness and disease, like bubonic plague. You learned about their life cycle and how a pupa can stay in its cocoon for months. Fleas emerge from their cocoon when they sense vibrations. You learned more about their relationship with humans as an external parasite and the inconveniences and consequences of having fleas.
Fleas are vectors, which means a transportation vehicle for any viruses, bacteria, and other organisms that cause illness and disease. We gave a recap of all we learned about fleas at the NPMA 2021 Pest Management Conference, including that these pests are going to be the nuisance of the year.
Finally, you learned how we treat fleas and things you can do to treat for and prevent fleas. Vacuuming is essential to flea eradication, as the pupae hatch into adults, you can vacuum them up.
As you have gathered from this post, flea control can be a tricky thing, and it is best to leave it up to pest professionals to ensure the job is Done Right. And you’ll be singing “There ain’t no bugs in my house” in no time!
If at any time you think you may have a flea infestation, please call us, we would love to help you with your flea problem. 651-342-9489.
Done Right Pest Solutions
Flea Control Experts
What is something you found interesting in this post? What tips have you tried that worked for flea control? Let us know.
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