Pet ownership can be a whole awesome experience – until an infestation occurs. To say Fleas bites on humans is bothersome is a gross understatement. These pesky creatures can infest dogs with tapeworms and humans with typhus. Finding permanent flea control measures can be – sometimes – tasking.
However, keeping away these annoying pests from your pets and the entire home has grown to a multi-dollar industry. In the US, an estimated $5 billion is spent yearly on flea prevention and treatment and about $350 million on professional pest management.
You may use insecticides to eradicate adult fleas lurking around your home. Other control measures might come handy to help keep them away forever. Before we delve into permanent flea control measures, let’s see what fleas are.
What are Fleas?
Fleas are tiny wingless insects. They measure about 1/8” in length, with a long flattened reddish-brown or golden body. Ctenocephalides felis (the scientific name for cat flea) is not only associated with cats; it hosts on other warm-blooded animals – dogs inclusive.
You’d most likely find these fleas in spots your pets are most fond of. They fall off their hosts, spreads to other places around your compound. After feeding on their host, they drop eggs –in their hundreds, daily.
The eggs fall off your pets’ body as they move around and begin. The larvae hatch and live on wastes – plant litters and dump from bigger fleas. After about two weeks, the larva is covered with cocoons and become a pupa. Development and chance of survival increases in moist and warm conditions.
Here are some permanent flea control measures to keep the fleas away from your pets – and home.
Chemical Treatments
Insecticides with pyrethrin are active for flea control. More and more larvae may develop even after application – It doesn’t mean the product is ineffective. It means the chemical was not targeted at the pupal, larval and eggs stages, but adult fleas. So, when you think the fleas are done with, the eggs continue to develop until they become adults – causing a re-infestation.
Thankfully, methoprene, pyriproxyfen, and other growth regulators inhibit the development of larvae into adult fleas. So, after killing the adult fleas with insecticides, you may need to apply a growth inhibitor to stop larva from becoming adults. Target your dog and cat houses, and other regular spots your pets visit.
Cultural Control
While proper application of chemicals are great anti-flea options, some more cultural options are good. Fleas survive best in shady, and moist conditions – outside which they have a shorter lifespan.
Allow adequate exposure to sunlight and proper ventilation. Trim foliage and branches from flea-infested – or suspicious – areas. Water your compound frequently to make it unconducive for their survival. Since larvae live on droppings of adult fleas, regular washing of your doghouse will cut off their food source, and in turn, make them starve to death.
Prevention
After all, is said and done, neighboring or stray animals are your biggest threats to re-infestation. After treating your yard and pets, block holes in fences or build barriers to prevent fleas from entering your yard from neighbors’.
Remove remnant pet foods, keeping garbage sealed, and removing bird feeders are some proactive measures to help avoid stray animals from entering your compounds.
Besides these permanent flea control measures, do well to contact your vet as soon as you notice an infestation.