Fleas
DO YOU AND YOUR PETS A FAVOUR AND GET RID OF THE ITCH
Fleas are a problem which most cat and dog owners have had to contend with at least once in the life of their beloved pet. The solution for successful flea control is treatment of the pet and the pet’s environment (which may mean inside as well as outside the home) at the same time and the carrying out of a few simple tips as listed below.
NOTE: TREATING YOUR PET AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT AT THE SAME TIME WILL PRODUCE THE BEST RESULTS.
1. In preparation for the treatment, remove all toys, clothes etc from the floor. If you have any fish, cover the tanks and turn off the filter prior to treatment. Remove pets from the area to be treated. Pets may be brought back once the treatment has dried.
2. Treat the pets with a proven flea product such as Frontline, Advantage or Advocate. Do not wash your pet for two days prior to application of the treatment as the use of soaps or shampoos may reduce the residual action of the treatment.
3. OK So you’ve treated the pet and had a professional flea treatment but you are still continuing to see fleas. This is perfectly normal. Over the next several weeks, you will still see newly hatched fleas. Do not leave the flea infested areas undisturbed as movement hatches fleas.
Do not vacuum for at least 1 week after treatment. Place the vacuuming’s in a bag and dispose of in the bin.
4. Make sure to leave your pet in the flea infested areas as this will attract the fleas. If you remove the pet, the problem may appear to be worse as you have become the only potential host. Fleas will continue to hatch for about 6 weeks with normal human activity.
Retreat your pet regularly according to the label instructions of the chosen flea product.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AFTER TREATMENT
Fleas will be seen when an area is newly disturbed – such as when people get up in the morning or go outside – but not later in the day in that area. If the treatments are working, fleas will hatch, contact the treated surface (floor, soil – treated by Frontline Pest Management, or pet – treated with approved flea product) and die within a few hours.
The life cycle of the flea
By understanding the flea life cycle you can understand how, when and why you can suddenly get a flea outbreak. It all starts when the female flea bites an animal for a blood meal, which she needs to lay eggs.
Flea eggs – eggs are laid on the animal, but the eggs are not very sticky and easily fall off. The eggs are spread wherever the pet goes, with the greatest concentration of eggs in the areas where the pet rests.
Flea larvae – young fleas actually look like thin, small hairy maggots. They will hide in the carpet, cracks in floorboards or in the sand in moist, shady areas outside (typically sandy soils) – under trees, under the house – and pet resting areas. Flea larvae need a warm, humid environment to survive, which is why the warmer months make up the main flea season.
Flea pupae – when the larvae are ready to develop into adult fleas, they make a hard pupae. They can survive in this pupae for many months, only jumping out when they feel the vibrations of an animal walking by. Treatments don’t always kill all the pupae, so a few fleas can still appear after a treatment, but when the fleas jump out they will be killed by the residual treatment in the carpet and any treated areas.
Adult fleas – the adult fleas are the ones doing the biting. They prefer furry animals but will take a bite from us as well! The female needs blood to lay eggs… and so the life cycle begins again.
A flea infestation can be very uncomfortable and difficult to control, and more often than not, they appear all of a sudden. With a flea infestation likely to spread quickly through your house and yard, treatments need to be very thorough and it’s very difficult to get a complete and effective treatment with supermarket products.
What flea control treatments do we provide?
Frontline Pest Management specialises in dealing with flea infestations. To get on top of a flea infestation, we work with you to eliminate the problem as there are a number of actions that you will need to carry out in addition to our flea treatments.
What Frontline Pest Management will do to control fleas
• Treat all infested areas where required
• Our treatment will kill any adult fleas and flea larvae but the product cannot penetrate the egg casing. However, as the treatment leaves residual insecticide in the carpet, any fleas which hatch out of the flea pupae and come in contact with the product will then die (see more flea information below). The treatment in the carpeted areas keeps working for many months after the treatment providing protection from potential future infestations.
What you need to do to help with a flea treatment
• Treat your pets with a suitable veterinary product
• Kill fleas and their eggs on pet bedding. Your options:
• Wash all pet bedding in hot water
• Place bedding in sealed black plastic bag and place in the sun for 1-2 hours
• Throw out the pet bedding (needs to be treated with insecticide first)
• Our treatment products are designed for use on carpets and internal areas and are safe to use around children and pets, although people and pets need to be kept out of the treatment areas until the treatment is dry.
End of lease pest treatments are often required by contract when leaving a rental home. Especially if pets have been in the home, the treatment will often specify a flea treatment.
How to keep fleas out of your home
Regular vacuuming is always a good idea. However, the best way to keep fleas out of your home is to keep your pet’s flea treatment up to date.