Some people think that because they have no pets and a very clean home or business, that their property is not at risk of fleas. The truth of the matter is, fleas are like all other pests – they prefer a clean environment, warm and humid, with a ready food supply close by.

Pets can be a food source, as can us humans and so, fleas can invade any property. All it takes is a single flea, transported through the front door on our clothes, bags or pets.

Although a nuisance, fleas rarely cause significant danger to humans, neither do they spread diseases. They can leave us with nasty, itchy and inflamed bites around wrists and ankles. But it seems, the conditions within our home are simply perfect for the flea life cycle:

  • A single flea can lay up to 25 eggs a day – multiply this by several hundred fleas over a week, and you can soon see how a flea infestation can take hole
  • The life cycle of a flea is directly related to temperature; the warmer a property, the quicker this cycle from egg to adult is
  • Fleas lay their eggs on hosts, usually an animal

Any pet owner will know that treating pets with preventative flea treatments is a must but, it seems that some fleas may be developing an immunity to the active chemicals in these treatments and that we have not been using them correctly.

Eradicating fleas – the right treatment and perseverance

It does not take long for a flea infestation to take hold in a property and getting rid will take effort, perseverance and the right chemical treatment, applied and used in the right way.

  • The property will need to be vacuumed thoroughly and the contents of the vacuum thrown away immediately
  • Chemical treatments are then applied but there will need to be precautions taken – for example, some products are poisonous to fish and so tanks will need to be covered
  • Any other pets in the household, especially dogs and cats will need to be treated on the same day
  • Depending on the treatment applied, some products will need to be left for up to 2 weeks to take full effect; only after this fortnight has lapsed, should the property be thoroughly vacuumed, with the content of the vacuum once again thrown away immediately

Knowing the life cycle of the flea means that a professional pest controller can deal effectively with any infestation. Anything that can be washed at a high temperature – 60° or more – should be laundered; pet beds should be laundered too.

No embarrassment needed

Some customers are ‘embarrassed’ about their property being treated for fleas; a common misconception is that fleas only infest dirty homes or places. This probably comes from the fact that they are common in rented accommodation or rooms where a high number of tenants pass through. But fleas are everywhere, and can be easily transported in to a property.

Deal with it sooner, rather than later

Fleas in a property is not a pleasant experience. Pets can itch and scratch constantly; we can have painful bites around ankles and wrists and although you may have spent a lot of time vacuuming, money on shop bought remedies and treatments, washed everything and treated the pets, the problem still seems to persist and, in some cases, gets worse.

This is because some treatments are simply not effective; professional pest control companies will be up to date with the correct insecticide to use and can apply this within your home or business that is safe, causing no harm to you, your family or pets.

If you think you have a flea problem in your property, domestic or business,  and it doesn’t seem to be going away, why not call us for a free, no obligation quote – and, don’t forget our work is guaranteed meaning we will keep coming back until the fleas are gone!