What Should I Do About Fleas In My Cypress Home?
Fleas are miserable pests to deal with. If you've found fleas in your home, there are a few things you should know, such as the fact that a female flea can lay 50 eggs a day, if given the right conditions! In her hundred-day lifespan, she can lay as many as 5,000 eggs in your home. That's just one flea! When the eggs hatch and more female fleas emerge, the flea population can grow exponentially. It can quickly feel like your home is being overrun by fleas - because it is.
This fast reproduction is one reason why fleas are so difficult to control, and why residents often contact Cypress pest control for help. Have you discovered fleas in your home? If so, it is likely that you have questions. Let's look at four important questions that can give you some much-needed insight into how your flea infestation started, and then we will talk about the best way to get rid of fleas that have gotten into your Cypress home. Here's what you need to know.
How Did Fleas Get Into My House?
If you have fleas in your home, it is important to understand that those fleas once lived in your yard and were likely hiding in your landscaping or in the voids underneath structures. The reason they got into your home is that they first found their way into your yard. Fleas take furry animals as hosts. They get on everything from tiny mice to giant bears. Hopefully, it wasn't a bear that dropped those fleas on your property! The more likely suspect is a tiny mouse.
Fleas need certain conditions in order to reproduce. When flea larvae emerge from their eggs, they need flea dirt somewhere nearby. Flea larvae are wiggly little worms. They don't spring through the air and they can't bite animals or people. They feed on flea dirt, which contains blood. If you're not familiar with the term "flea dirt" it is a nice way of saying adult flea feces. This material falls off infested animals as they move about. If eggs and flea dirt land in the same location, they create the conditions necessary for reproduction. This happens most often in spots where animals bed down or hide because the animal is stationary.
When fleas hatch from their eggs and feed on flea dirt, they're able to develop and cocoon themselves. In their cocoons, they mature through the pupal stage and become adults. An adult flea can stay in a cocoon for a very long time, but as soon as it senses a potential host, it will break free, spring through the air, and climb aboard. If you have a dog or cat, this is likely how they got fleas.
Since fleas live in your yard before they get in your home, flea control for your house begins in your yard. This is where a pest control provider like Modern Pest Control can help. We provide routine treatments to stop flea reproduction near your home and protect your pets from fleas while they're outside.
Do Fleas Bite?
You probably already know the answer to this. Yes, a flea can bite you. Why is this an important question? Because the answer can give you an understanding of where fleas hide in your home and insight into the mysterious ways they can infest homes that don't have pets.
While fleas don't take humans as hosts, they can readily bite humans to get a blood meal. When you find flea bites on your skin, they're likely to be near your ankles. This is because fleas spring up from carpets or floors to get on you. When they climb aboard, they'll draw a blood meal and jump off. If you find flea bites somewhere else, it is likely that you have a piece of furniture that is infested, such as a bed or a couch. Do a close examination of the furniture in your home to figure out where they're living and reproducing.
Fleas do well in a home that has a cat or a dog, but they can live in a home that doesn't have any pets at all. If you're finding flea bites on your skin, but you don't have a pet, there is a good chance that you have a mouse or rat infestation. These animals can bring fleas into your home, and when eggs hatch in your home and the rodents aren't around, the fleas may find you.
Can Fleas Transmit Diseases?
Yes. There are many flea diseases that impact cats, dogs, and humans. What diseases do fleas carry? These are the ones you should know about:
Murine Typhus
This disease, which can also be called flea-borne typhus, can make your pets sick. Symptoms may include chills, shaking, and bad breath. You may also notice a darkening of the eyes. Murine typhus can also impact human health. You can expect to get a rash and to have flu-like symptoms if you get this disease. The good news is that most people recover from Murine typhus without having to visit the hospital.
Bartonellosis
There are over 22 named species of bartonella bacteria. One that you may have heard of is cat scratch disease (or catch scratch fever). This disease impacts around 12,000 people each year in the United States, and around 500 are hospitalized. This is a disease that has more of an impact on human health than on pet health. Your pet is likely to get cat scratch disease and show no symptoms but there are cases where pets have gotten ill from bartonella bacteria. Symptoms exhibited were loss of appetite, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, joint pain, and more.
Tapeworms
These organisms are more likely to impact your dog or cat than they are to impact you, your spouse, or your kids. They get into the intestinal tract when dogs and cats swallow them during grooming. It is also possible for a human to accidentally swallow a flea and get tapeworms. This might happen when a flea accidentally jumps into food. In most cases, tapeworms will simply pass through the digestive system of a human without any issues.
Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)
This is a flea-borne disease that impacts pet health, and it is more common for dogs than cats. If your dog gets FAD, it can have intense skin irritation. This can lead to a loss of hair and skin infections.
Anemia
Fleas draw blood. If there are enough fleas, and they draw enough blood, it can lead to a condition called anemia. If you're not familiar with anemia, it is a sickness that results from a lack of healthy red blood cells. It can lead to fatigue, weakness, chest pains, dizziness, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, coldness in extremities, headaches, and more.
Plague
We don't live in the dark ages anymore, but the plague is still around. This is considered a serious bacterial infection that should be treated at a hospital. It is predominantly spread by infected fleas. While this disease, known as the Black Death, rarely leads to death now, it can make you very sick. Keep watch for dead rodents in your yard. This is a warning sign of plague.
How Do I Completely Get Rid Of Fleas?
If you're currently dealing with a flea infestation in your home, there are a few steps you'll need to take in order to arrest the infestation, stop the cycle of infestation, and prevent future infestations. Your first step should be to contact your veterinarian and find out what products are best for your pet and for your family. There are many products that your veterinarian may recommend, such as:
Flea collars - This is a great place to start. If your pet can tolerate the active ingredient that exterminates fleas (which most pets can) you'll be on your way to getting rid of fleas.
Flea powders - When you powder your pets, fleas jump off.
Flea medication - These are products that are taken orally. They make your pet toxic to fleas, yet they are safe enough to give to a pregnant pet that is nursing young.
Flea spray - Your vet is likely to recommend a product that does not contain insecticides that can make your pet sick.
Flea shampoo - These products can get rid of fleas and give your pet benefits for their skin and coat.
There are many options to get fleas off your pets. Your vet can guide you toward what will work best. As you work to treat your pets, you'll also want to address any fleas that are in your home.
Vacuum your floors routinely. This has many benefits. You can suck up flea dirt so that flea larvae don't have a food source. You can suck up the flea larvae and keep them from developing into adult fleas. You can also suck up adult fleas and prevent them from laying more eggs in your home.
If you have a heavy infestation in your rugs, you may need to use a steam clean to destroy eggs that are hidden in your rugs. Heat will also destroy any larvae or cocooned fleas in your rugs.
Wash pet bedding. Your pet's bedding is likely to be ground zero for fleas. The soapy water in your washing machine and the heat from your dryer will work to kill fleas in all stages of development.
Wash the sheets and covers on your bed, particularly if your pets go into your room.
As you work to remove fleas from your home, you'll also want to prevent new fleas from coming inside.
Consider keeping your dog on a leash when he goes outside. This keeps your pooch from picking up more fleas and bringing them into your home.
Keep your lawn trimmed and remove grass from your landscaping. This will reduce the habitat that fleas need for development.
Consider rodent habitats. If you have unprotected voids underneath structures, it can help to apply fencing material to keep rodents out. It is also helpful to trim landscape vegetation near the base of your plants. Rodents prefer dense vegetation. They like to hide.
The best way to get rid of fleas in your yard is to contact Modern Pest Control for a flea treatment. We can provide a one-time service or ongoing, seasonal flea treatments.
Flea Pest Control In Cypress
When fleas get into your Cypress home, Modern Pest Control has the answers that will take care of those fleas and get you back to being flea-free. With over 70 years in business, we have the experience to give you the best pest control service available in the industry. We work hard every day to learn what works best to treat all of the pests we deal with, and our staff has ongoing training to stay up to date with all advances in pest control. Not only are our licensed pest professionals highly trained, but they're also super friendly. You'll always get friendly and helpful service.
You don't have to live with fleas. The residential pest control treatments we apply in your home are long-lasting and they break the cycle of infestation. The problem with flea infestations is that it is difficult to destroy flea eggs. This is where DIY pest control often fails. When the fleas emerge from their eggs, the DIY products are no longer active or they've been removed. We use residuals that stay active for weeks. When fleas emerge, they won't be able to develop into adults.
The treatments we apply to your yard also stop fleas from developing into adults, and flea control is included when you get Modern Plus, Signature, or Signature Plus control for your home. These programs come with quarterly pest service, routine inspections, regular treatments, and guaranteed service. Whether you want an exterior flea treatment or flea control for your house, we can guide you in selecting the right control options. For more information about our programs or to schedule a flea treatment for your home, connect with us today. We look forward to helping you find the right solution for your specific needs and budget.