Flea Control

Got fleas? If you’ve already attempted to rid your home of fleas and haven’t been successful you may need to arrange a professional flea control treatment. Don’t be too surprised – fleas are one of the hardest insects for the householder to eradicate themselves due to their complex breeding cycle.

You may also be surprised to know that you don’t have to have pets in the house for a flea infestation to occur – adult fleas still at the cocoon stage can remain dormant in the cocoon for several months, particularly in carpet in an unoccupied home. Activity (such as new occupants arriving) can cause the fleas to exit the cocoon in search of food – usually the new occupants!

If you do have pets, fleas may be a frequent problem but there are things you can do to help minimise the problem:

• Speak to your veterinary surgeon about the most effective forms of flea control for your pets;

• • Take steps to eliminate fleas from your pet’s bedding material.
  • If the problem is significant you may wish to discard the old bedding and replace it – but don’t do this until after you have taken steps to remove the fleas from your pets and from other areas in the home, or the new bedding may quickly become infested.
  • Discard your vacuum cleaner bag after vacuuming fleas infested carpet as fleas and eggs will be present
  • Flea ‘bombs’ can be purchased from the supermarket however these may not be an appropriate flea control solution if the problem is severe or has recurred despite this treatment.
  • Consider treating shady areas outdoors where your pets spend time as these areas may be harbouring fleas

If you are having a problem with fleas it’s important to tackle the problem quickly. Fleas are more than a nuisance – they are blood sucking parasites that are capable of transmitting tapeworm.

Where did the fleas come from?

Fleas may have entered your home via any one of a number of means, even if your pets have never had fleas before, for example:

You may have brought bedding, carpet or other items into your home that contained flea eggs or cocooned adult fleas. Your pet may have sat or lay down in a place (in your yard, at the local dog park, or elsewhere) where fleas were present;
If you don’t have a pet, the previous occupant of your new home may have had one. Of course, how they got there may not be your biggest concern at this point! If you’re being eaten alive, speak to your local pest controller about professional flea control.