Flies (Common House Fly)

Fleas are pests for both pets and humans. Fleas have powerful rear legs that allow them to hop about 8” vertically and 16” horizontally. They are very well adapted at feeding on our dogs and cats. When the dog or cat is gone for a period of time or a new non pet tenant moves into an infested home the food source is the human and this can be over whelming with flea bites. Humans will also be the food source when the population is overrun and the pets are not supplying enough food, or blood in this case.

The female flea will lay a few eggs a day up to 300 very close to where the host or pet spends most of their time. There are several types of fleas in the United States but only 2 common species, the cat and dog fleas. Cat fleas are most often found on our pets and dog fleas are found on wild animals and rodents.

Identification

Fleas are small insects that are about 1/6” long but very narrow from the front. Fleas have spines that protrude backward. This plus the shape of the body help the adult fleas navigate through the fur of animals and make it hard to drop off from the animal or become dislodged from a carpet. They appear bark brown to almost black. The most prominent feature will be the ability to hop away and disappear when you attempt to touch them. One of the biggest concerns of fleas to our pest management professional is what you do not see. That is only 15% of the total flea population is adults that you can see. The remainder are the different life stages, egg, larva and pupa scattered on the inside and outside of your home. These are the important items for our pest management professionals to address during the visit.

Control

Our treatment starts with our customer service representative assisting you in preparing for our pest management professionals visit. If you have a pet they will advise you on getting them treated on the day of the treatment.

The last stage of growth for a flea is to pupate and emerge from the cocoon. This action requires warm temperatures and a trigger which is vibration. Without this combination they pre-adult can wait in the cocoon stage for 6-12 months. This is why we have you vacuum the day before we arrive to activate the pupa and have them emerge onto our treatment.

Out pest management professional will start with a complete home inspection to identify possible flea nesting areas, which are pet sleeping areas, and means of entry. The treatment consists of mechanical corrections or vegetation removal to your home, pet bedding placed into the dryer for 30 minutes on high and our treatment. The treatment is a combination of an adulticide for adult flea control and an insect growth regulator to control larva from pupating. This is important to prevent fleas from re-infestations later on in the season. If you have a pet they will advise you on getting them treated.