By the time you notice your dog or cat scratching, it is probably too late. Fleas cause huge problems anywhere there are pets; but you don’t need pets to have fleas.

This article examines these nasty little pests more closely and offers some helpful suggestions on what to do if you find yourself overrun.

The Lifecycle of Fleas

Fleas are tiny six-legged insects that feed on blood. It can be your blood; fleas aren’t picky that way. Like bedbugs, they are hard to eradicate once you have them. Fleas have a prolific reproductive lifecycle. Faster than you can say “flea collar,” these pests can infiltrate your carpets, bedding, couch cushions, or anywhere else they can lay their microscopic eggs.

Doctors Foster and Smith say, “Just because your pet is not scratching does not necessarily mean he is flea-free.” Pets that experience a flea allergy will itch themselves to pieces – and so will you. Your vet can recommend a monthly flea treatment that will kill these creatures on your pet without harming your best friend. But the bad news is the flea has to jump on the dog or cat and take a bite before the preventative treatment kills them.

Before that happens though, just one flea may have deposited up to 500 eggs in your home. Suddenly, you’re having a flea convention.

Stopping Fleas

 The first step to truly eradicate what is often a very persistent problem is to call us. We have controls that can help you eliminate fleas quickly. Other methods you can use include:

  • Vacuuming every day to remove the eggs from adult fleas. This must include the basement (if you have one), couch cushions, and every nook and cranny of your home.
  • Steam clean any carpets; soap and hot steam can kill fleas.
  • Wash all people and pet bedding and certainly don’t leave any clothes lying on carpets.
  • Buy a good quality flea comb for your pets and become obsessed with the hunt for bugs on your pets. What you’ll find is that fleas are very hard to see, and even harder to catch.
  • Bathe your pets regularly, but talk with your vet first. Using the right shampoo is essential to not drying out your pet’s skin, which can cause more problems. Too, you won’t want to wash them right after you’ve applied a topical skin flea remedy.

These are just some of the methods that help you begin to tackle the problem. But each of these methods takes a lot of time and effort. Is it possible there is a better way to do this?

Call Your Las Vegas Pest Control Service

 If you’ve ever had a flea infestation, you know how inconvenient and irritating to you, your guests, and your pets that they can be. Preventive Pest can assess your home or office and create a plan to eradicate these unwelcome visitors and keep them from coming back. Our process focuses on:

  • Access denial – to keep fleas from returning.
  • Making flea habitats unwelcome.
  • Removal of existing adult fleas by using chemical controls.
  • Disruption of egg cycle.

Flea infestation can make a home or apartment virtually unlivable. Contact Preventive Pest Control and take back your home and life!