Fleas are a very common part of household life for everybody up and down the country (and worldwide) and they are of course, more common in pet households.
Cat fleas are most common, and dog fleas second. Although they do prefer animals, they are partial to human blood, so if you find yourself itching, or suffering with bite marks, or see your pet scratching, it could be a flea infestation. Sometimes, you may even see them hopping on fur (look out for small brown, wingless insects) or leaving faeces on your pet coats. Do bear in mind that only 5% of fleas on your pets are adult fleas and 95% is in your home as eggs, larvae and pupae. So treating your pets with flea treatment will not eradicate them from your property entirely.
Female fleas can live up to two years and can lay around 2000 eggs in her life time. It only takes 24 hours after her first meal to lay the eggs and as soon as the fleas emerge from their egg sacs, they will immediately jump onto the nearest human or pet and feed. Their saliva prevents blood from clotting so that they can drink it, but can cause the host to have an allergic reaction.
How to reduce the risk of a flea infestation:
- The most obvious of treatments – use flea treatment on your pets. You can also use a flea comb to improve the chances of getting rid of them.
- Hoover regularly as it will remove all fleas regardless of their life stage (including eggs). Make sure you empty the hoover outside the house as soon as you’re finished, as the suction may not have killed all of them.
- Washing and drying clothes and household products (such as toys and rugs) on a high heat can also kill fleas. Also steam your clothes.
- On the other extreme, freezing cold temperatures (such as a freezer) can also work.
- Protect your mattress with a mattress protector.
- Use insecticides according to the label. Do not treat an infestation with insecticides labelled for other insects as they will not work.
Call in the experts to do a professional job and eradicate them from your house! We use chemical insecticides and fumigate areas turning the insecticides into liquid particles which fall into all of the nooks and crannies and hard to treat areas.
