Put a Flea Infestation on the Flee with Slug-A-Bug

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Put a Flea Infestation on the Flee with Slug-A-Bug

• Fleas Are One Itchy Problem, but Slug-A-Bug Can
  Help

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The Flea Factor
There are more than 2,000 different species of
fleas in the world, but to most people, they mean
one thing - intense itching and irritation.

• Even if you don't have a dog or cat in your
  house, you could still have a flea control
  problem. Successful control involves the home,
  the pets if present, and the yard.

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Identifying Fleas

• It can be tough to spot a flea because most are
  just 1/8 inch long.
• There are three main types of fleas - dog fleas,
  cat fleas, and sticktight fleas. But the cat flea
  is, by far, the most common flea in households
  throughout the United States.
• The cat flea is reddish brown, and wingless.
  There bodies are laterally compressed. They also
  have mouth parts able to pierce and suck blood
  from a host.

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Theyre Seriously Hungry
There are many different problems with fleas, but
the biggest one is that they bite anything they
can find. They won't make a distinction between
your dog and your foot, they'll just jump on and
start biting. Flea bites are small round spots
with a tiny red halo around it. They may cause
itching and individuals who have sensitive skin
or small children can begin to suffer allergic
dermatitis, which causes considerably more
itching as well as hair loss, and even secondary
infections.
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The Cause Of Illnesses

• Another increasingly common flea problem is that
  they can transmit diseases. They can serve as a
  host to tapeworms, transmitting them not only to
  your family pets, but to your children as well.
  They can also transmit a murinelike typhus
  disease according to new research. The symptoms
  include headaches, chills, fever, vomiting, and
  rash.

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The Lifecycle of a Flea

• Most adult cat fleas will remain on the host
  itself. Fresh blood is required to produce eggs,
  and females have the ability to lay 20-50 eggs
  per day. The eggs take just two days to hatch in
  some cases. The eggs are white in color and oval
  shaped. They are 1/32 inch long, and very smooth.
• Eggs then hatch into flea larvae, and are about
  3/16 inch long. They are fairly hairy and may
  look like little worms. They have a large head,
  but do not have eyes or legs. In order to grow
  into adults, they have to be in an area where 75
  relative humidity occurs.
• They eat and crawl around for about 8 days, then
  build themselves a cocoon, where they grow into
  adults. The warmer it is, the more quickly the
  larvae develop. In a normal room temperature
  home, the cycle can take eighteen days to occur.
• Adult fleas live about thirty days on the host.

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A Few Things to Consider

• Adult fleas spend most of their time on a pet, if
  there is one in the home.
• Adult fleas lay their eggs on your pet, but those
  eggs are quick to fall off. They can hide
  anywhere including the cushions, carpet, or even
  your bed. Any place your pet spends time, there
  are likely to be flea eggs.
• After they hatch, the larvae use the area around
  them as protection. They feed on adult flea
  feces, which can accumulate throughout your
  house.
• Before they can become adults, the larvae have to
  transform into pupae within a cocoon. The cocoon
  is resistant to insecticides.

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Treating Your Home for Fleas

• In most cases, you'll need to approach flea
  treatments from a three step perspective
• Your Home
• Your Pet
• Your Yard

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Treating Your Home

• Focus most of your treatments on areas that your
  pets use. You will find most of the eggs larvae
  here.
• Begin by vacuuming your whole house. Make sure
  you empty the bag or canister immediately and
  wash it in hot soapy water, as fleas flea eggs
  could be hiding inside. And be sure to get the
  vacuum bag or garbage out of the house quickly as
  vacuuming can cause the eggs to hatch.
• Wash your pet's bedding and any throw rugs.
• Contact a professional pest control company to
  ensure the problem is taken care of, and try to
  keep your pets from areas that are harder to
  treat like your child's play room.
• You can expect to see fleas for up to two weeks
  after flea treatment.

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Treating Your Pet

• While you're treating your home, you should also
  treat your pet. Make to use a flea shampoo as
  well as an ongoing treatment regimen.
• There are many great flea control products on the
  market that your vet can tell you about to help
  keep fleas off your pet.

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Treating Your Yard

• While most flea control problems can be
  controlled just by treating your pet and your
  home, in some cases, it's necessary to treat the
  yard too. Want a quick way to figure out if your
  yard needs treatment? Put on a pair of white
  socks, pulled up to your knees. Walk around your
  yard for a few minutes. If you have fleas, you'll
  be able to see them quickly.

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Do It Yourself Treatments

• There are many kinds of treatment options today,
  but to save money, lots of people opt for
  do-it-yourself treatments. While these may have a
  fairly temporary effect, they cannot truly
  eliminate the problem the same way professional
  pest control company help can.

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Schedule a free evaluation

• The largest independently owned pest control
  company in Brevard County, we offer cutting edge
  solutions to help you deal with your flea problem
  for good.