It’s not unusual to hear of stories of fleas in basement. A friend once moved into a new house. But before then, pest control experts were called in to exterminate the whole house and the yard. This they did, and the house was certified free of pests.
Few months into his stay in the new house and his pet which had no history of fleas suddenly had fleas. Pests experts were called in once again and this time they used an integrated pest management strategy, infusing the most aggressive flea products available in the market. Yet, the same story.
Not until a thorough sweep of the building was done, was the source of the problem located – fleas in the basement. Quite a population it was.
As pest control professionals, this is expected. Well, most times, the basement of a house is an almost deserted area. So, it’s not unusual for that part of the house to be bypassed when treating a suspected flea infestation.
How Did I Get Fleas in My Basement?
The fact of the matter is that flea infestations can occur anywhere in the house. And this goes for their life cycle too. It can occur on your pets, in the yard, in your carpet, bed, garage, and the basement is no exemption. Any place a warm-blooded animal spends time is highly susceptible to flea infestations.
Although this is becoming general knowledge, it is vital that we state that one can have a flea infestation and not have any pets. When there are no pets, wild ferrets and rodents to quench their bloodthirst, fleas will turn to the human blood for survival.
Flea Treatment for Basement
That your flea problem is coming from the basement does not mean you should concentrate your efforts at eliminating just the fleas found there. Fleas in basement is only a sign that other areas of the house could be infested too. Your treatment strategy should be holistic. You should treat your pets, your home and your yard concurrently.
One other thing most people are yet to understand is that flea control is egg control. If you can halt the maturation of these eggs into adults, especially when they’re in your home or basement, you will achieve flea control.
Use Flea Sprays
Found fleas in your basement? Then flea sprays will help you in your fight against these blood-sucking critters. Recent flea sprays have been formulated to include adulticides and growth regulators. The adulticide kills the adult fleas, while the growth regulators halt the maturation of the eggs, ending a rather rapid cycle.
Do Not Vacate Your Basement
My friend’s flea problem seems to last as long as it did because his basement was desolate. Fleas are really patient pests. They can survive without feeding for a very long time until the right host presents itself. Their pupae will also only sit out and wait until they sense the right vibration before hatching. For the homeowner who wants to eradicate his fleas as soon as possible, this is no good news.
Do you want to get rid of those fleas in your basement very quickly? The secret is to keep people and pets active in the room where the flea problem is coming from, which in this case is the basement. This way the newly hatched cocoons will find a ready host and then you can easily get rid of the fleas on your pets.
Furthermore, pupae are motivated by movement and heat emitting from the body. They will refuse to hatch if there are no activities in a room. Fleas in basement? Increase your activities there, instead of reducing them.
Use Flea Traps
For your usually quiet basement, you can use flea traps to lure the flea cocoons into hatching. A heated flea trap uses heat to attract the adult fleas and their pupae.
Drione Dust
This is another treatment option that is more lasting and suited for fleas in basements. It appears in the form of baby powder. When applied it can last for up to 6 months.
Overall, getting rid of fleas in basement is real hard work. To eradicate fleas in basement will take a whole lot of patience and consistency before your adopted treatment strategy begins to bear results. Just make sure they’re the right strategies as listed above.