Flea Extermination Services
The flea is a biting pest that is commonly associated with properties with pets and animals. Fleas respond to movement, light changes and carbon dioxide and can jump huge distances (onto you!) using their incredibly powerful back legs to grab a blood meal. After a meal a female may lay several hundred eggs.
There are a number of different species of fleas, with the cat flea being the most common. They are generally thought to be transmitters of disease and must be tackled. If you are getting bitten in a new property it could be that the previous owners had a cat or dog with a flea problem. Fleas may however be carried by most hairy animals and birds including cats, dogs, rabbits, rats, mice and livestock. Non-treatment can also result in pets developing allergies.
Fleas can stay in the pupal stage for a year. The pupae can sense vibrations and emerge into the adult stage within three seconds and immediately take a blood meal. This is why buildings that have been empty for a long time can appear to have a sudden flea infestation when humans enter.
Flea Bites
Fleas tend to bite around the lower leg and ankle, producing an uncomfortable itch or rash. Flea bites tend to have a tiny red spot in the middle, surrounded by a reddened area. Commonly you will see two or three bites in a row on your ankles. Children commonly react badly to flea bites. However if the bites are happening at night and on the upper body, bed bugs could be the cause.
Flea Extermination
Treatment for fleas is done most effectively using powerful professional strength residual insecticides. Because flea pupae (the stage before they emerge into adults) can have resistance to insecticides, a follow-up treatment from the pest controller may be advisable. Fleas have had a tendency to develop some resistance to the most commonly used insecticides in recent years and we have kept fully up to speed with these developments. Call now for a free consultation.
