Sound Pest Management: Controlling Fleas

Fleas are a nuisance, but did you know they can also spread disease and cause tapeworms?  Fleas can pose a significant health risk to your family and pets. In order to break the cycle and get rid of fleas, it's not enough to simply treat your pets. You need to treat your home as well.

A Bit About Fleas

Fleas are small, jumping insects that, as adults, feed on the blood of mammals such as humans, dogs and cats. Adult fleas can live for several months without feeding on blood as long as they remain in their cocoon. When a home or building is empty, flea eggs often hatch and the fleas grow to adulthood in their cocoons. They stay that way until a food source – people or animals – come to them. As a result, there are often flea problems when people move into a home or building that has been empty for some time.

Fleas live best in warm temperatures and high humidity. Once they are out of their cocoon, they can only live for about a week without feeding on blood.

Flea bites are usually itchy and can cause secondary infections from scratching. The fleas can also pass disease between the people and animals they bite.

Stopping and Preventing Fleas in Your Home or Business

A flea infestation is uncomfortable and unhealthy for the people and animals affected.  Treating an infestation is possible.  But it takes involvement from both professional exterminators and you, the home or building owner.

At Sound Pest Management, we begin treatment by using an insect growth regulator. This keeps fleas from ever emerging from their cocoons or reproducing. We also use a pesticide to kill the adults that are already out of their cocoons. Daily vacuuming is also important to remove fleas from the building.

After extermination, we will recommend several steps you can take to prevent a future infestation.