How to control flea pest

Fleas are parasites frequently seen on house pets, feeding on warm-blooded animals including humans. They pierce on the skin and inject an anti-coagulant chemical into the hosts to prevent blood clot – they then suck out the blood, some of which passes through their rectum for egg-laying.

Fleabite causes a skin reaction that appears as a slightly elevated, red itchy spot – it causes acute irritation, infection, and transmission of other parasites. Sometimes, the sores bleed.

Fleas thrive in humid environment

Fleas usually thrive in warm and humid environment. They are attracted to body heat and movement, especially the carbon dioxide exhaled by animals and people – as such, our homes are ideal nests. They enter a building on dogs and cats, commonly deposited in carpeted areas, in the garden, yard, and under the building.

Owing to the flea cycle and varying weather conditions, many people do not realize they have a flea problem until they return home from a vacation and find themselves knee-deep into hungry fleas.

To control flea pests, understand first their cycle. Fleas undergo metamorphosis. The female flea lays eggs every day until she has produced 200 to 400 eggs. Within 2 days to several weeks – depending on the temperature and humidity – they develop into flea larvae. They look like maggots, feeding on a flea diet of undigested blood found on the feces of the adults.

They are hard to spot, often found deep in carpets or the rifts and fissures of floors and upholstery. They are very difficult to vacuum, as they get entangled in the carpet fibers. After pupae, they emerge into adult fleas from inside the cocoon within 7 to 14 days or longer, depending on conditions.

These adult fleas are what we see crawling on our pets

As you can see, the visible fleas are only a symptom of a much greater problem. Adult fleas account only for 5% of the total flea population – the remaining 95% are hidden, and can be found anywhere in the pet's environment. It will be most concentrated in the areas that your pets frequent, like the bed area.

When the female flea lays an egg on the pet, it falls off the hairs in just a few minutes. And so, anywhere your pet goes, the eggs go, and just like sowing seeds, so do the eggs get scattered around the house.

For Light Flea Infestation

The best time to begin Operation: Control Flea Pest is in the late spring. For starters, monitoring the populations of the parasites is a good start to control flea pest. Record the number of fleas you catch each day to ascertain whether the fleas are increasing or decreasing. A good program must include a flea comb.

If there is increase, vacuum frequently using a machine with a good suction. Once a week will suffice. Then learn to bathe your pet with extra care – very frequent bathing may cause dry skin, and such skin attracts fleas. Bathe your pet less often and moisturize with a conditioning rinse.

Vitamin B1 – found in brewer's yeast – discourages fleas. Give it to your pet in small doses or add in dry pet food. Or you can talk to your vet about dosages in using B vitamins.

For Heavy Flea Infestation

If your pets are often outdoors, there's a great possibility that fleas in varying stages are there too. Kill the fleas outside by flooding the yard with water – fleas can die by drowning. Do not flood too frequently, though – be sensitive to drought conditions.

Steam-clean your carpeting, furniture, and pet bedding – these kills the adult fleas and eliminates the debris that feeds larval fleas. While steam cleaning, wear an insect repellent on your pant legs and footwear. Tuck the pant legs into socks – never place repellent directly on your skin, as it is often toxic.

Though steam cleaning kills the adults and larvae, the heat and moisture creates a favorable environment for the eggs, which is liable to hatch after 2 days. Follow up with daily vacuuming on low traffic areas to make sure the eggs disappear.

If you have air conditioning, make the room as cool as possible the vacuum. When cold, fleas return to the warm carpets and rugs, and you can capture them through vacuuming. Wrap the vacuum bag in a plastic bag and dispose of it. Wash the beddings and rugs regularly, particularly the ones where your pets often lie.