Fleas

​

Flea Control: More than a Pet Problem

​

Fleas are probably most commonly associated with dogs and cats and other pets. However, fleas are more of a problem than just for pets. Fleas can be transmitted to humans quite easily and they bite, looking for a meal of blood. Flea bites cause itching and can make living uncomfortable, plus they are known to carry a variety of diseases. This is just one reason flea control is especially important.

What makes fleas so potentially dangerous is that they feed on blood. That means that if they bite an animal that is infected with a bloodborne disease, that can be transmitted to whomever or whatever else they bite.

A flea infestation is frustrating because once they get into your home they are very difficult to get rid of. So if you find fleas around your home, your first move should be to call in the professionals who know how to get rid of fleas effectively.

​

A flea is a type of insect that feeds on warm-blooded creatures’ blood. You’ll most often find the cat flea in your home. Fleas are dark reddish-brown in color and 1/12 to ⅙ inches in length.

Fleas can live on pets in the home as well as wild animals. Fleas most often infest mammals.

​

Flea Life Cycle

They key to successful flea removal is to make sure that they are eliminated at all life stages. The adult fleas are the easiest to spot, but forgetting to remove the pupae, larvae and eggs means that as soon as the adults are gone, you get another infestation. It only takes a couple of fleas to start the whole infestation all over again and you, your family and your pets will be itching all over again.

At Western Exterminator we are specialists in doing flea control treatments that will get rid of the infestation at all levels. We are trained to find them even at their egg stage and our treatments stop them cold.

​

Flea Stages

There are four stages to a flea's life cycle. In general, a flea goes through these stages in a couple of weeks, but sometimes it can be longer. The four major stages of a flea life cycle are:

• Egg - fleas lay their eggs on the host that they have used as their home. However, the eggs are not sticky and usually they roll right off the host animal or person. They then end up in the cracks on the floor, in the carpets, or in the cushions of the sofa. Fleas usually stay eggs for a couple of days.

   

• Larva - fleas are even harder to see at this stage. Fleas are generally small, even as adults, but their larvae are only about 1/4 of an inch in length and pale or even transparent. They feed of the feces of the adults since adults generally eliminate blood. A flea will stay in this stage for maybe a week, depending on conditions. Larvae spin cocoons when they are ready to advance to the next stage.

   

• Pupa - this is the flea inside its cocoon. Although the larvae spin silk like a moth or butterfly to make their cocoons, they can also incorporate hair, carpet fibers or other substances around them. This is really rather clever because they blend right with their environment. The pupae are waiting for just the right time to emerge as adults and that can be just the right temperature or the proximity of the right host.

   

• Adult - dark colored, sometimes black, usually brownish, but turning red if they have had a blood meal. The adult fleas emerge and start looking for the right host. They do not have wings and cannot fly, but they can jump incredibly far and move very fast. They are looking for blood and they are voracious eaters, using that protein for nourishment, but also to lay more eggs and start the cycle over again.

​

Fleas are tricky.

You may be tempted to try and take care of fleas on your own, but they are tough. They are hard to find and once they get into clothing, furniture, other pets and your family it takes special treatments and methods to remove them.

To effectively control fleas, here are some things to try:

• vacuum your home 

• wash or replace pet bedding 

• eliminate fleas on pets 

• clean up and treat indoor and outdoor areas where pets rest.

​

Flea prevention

You can stave off the possible problems that fleas can create by taking some easy steps. It’s a good idea to wash your pet’s bedding every week. Apply a flea comb to your pet, as it can get fleas while spending time outside.

It’s also vital to vacuum often to help keep fleas from laying eggs. Taking appropriate action can help you avoid the problems that result from a flea infestation.

​

​

Tick: Order Acarina

Appearance: Appearance differs by species, but all adults are very small, roundish, with eight legs (larvae or seed ticks have six legs); 1/8 to 1/2 inch long.

Habits: Live on the bodies of mammals, birds and reptiles.

Diet: Blood; all species can swell to a considerable size after feeding.

Reproduction: Mating usually occurs while adult ticks are on the host animal; female hard ticks feed only once, and lay one large batch of up to 10,000 eggs; female soft tick will feed several times and lay 20 -50 eggs after each meal; eggs hatch in 19 to 60 days.

Other Information: Ticks are known carriers of many serious diseases, including encephalitis, tick paralysis, typhus and Lyme disease; adults can live over 500 days without a meal.

​

Ticks are arachnids, which puts them into the same class as spiders and other eight-legged creepy-crawlers. They are very small, with most species barely bigger than the head of a pin, and they feed entirely on blood in order grow and reproduce. They are insidious pests, latching on to animals like deer, mice, rats, squirrels, birds, dogs, cats - and humans.

Ticks are notorious pests known for the diseases that they carry and transmit. The most famous of those is Lyme disease, which can have crippling lifelong symptoms.

Ticks go through several life stages and each stage involves feasting on blood. When an adult tick reaches its final stage, it climbs to the top of a tall blade of grass or other vegetation and extend its two front legs in a method known as questing. 

Ticks can detect body heat and body odors associated with warm blooded creatures that it requires for food purposes. When a suitable host brushes against them tiny hooks on their front legs latch on and they then crawl around to find a suitable spot to cut a hole in the skin and start to feed. 

Ticks are small and usually black or brown in color.

​

Tick-Borne Diseases

There are several diseases ticks carry and can transmit to humans or other animals. Common diseases are:

• Lyme Disease

• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

• Colorado Tick Fever

• Typhus - various forms are known to be from ticks

   

• Tick Paralysis

​

How Do Pets Get Ticks?

Your pet is a part of your family, and like any member of your family, you want your pet to live a full and healthy life. Taking your dog out for walks, and interacting with other pets in the neighborhood or dog park while normal and healthy, will only attract pests like ticks to feast on your dog. Ticks are also well known to be Lyme disease carriers and can carry a lot of other bacteria as well, so it's important to stay keep you and your pet protected.

• Being outside - a simple trip to the vet or a dog park is enough for ticks to feast on your pet.

   

• Your garden - if you have a garden that attracts pests, you may want to consider tick repelling plants, or use products for your plants to ward of ticks

   

• Other animals - your pet can get ticks from just being around other animals like raccoons, squirrels, and even rodents

​

Tick Eggs

Tick eggs mark the beginning of the tick life cycle. It goes from eggs to larvae to nymphs and adult. A female tick can lay up to 18,000 eggs in her lifetime, however since a tick’s life is very short, they will die after laying their eggs.

Before getting into how eggs are laid for different species of ticks, there is one thing you should know. There are two different types of ticks: hard ticks and soft ticks. The main difference between the two is the presence of a scutum or shield. Hard ticks will have this shield and soft ticks will not. In fact, soft ticks will have a leathery cuticle in its place.

 Soft ticks, however will survive after laying their eggs. Soft tick eggs will live on consuming blood, either from a human or an animal, and will continue to lay eggs until she dies. Hard ticks on the other hand will lay their eggs outside in the ground during spring. Brown dog ticks will lay indoors. 

​

Fleas vs. Ticks

Many people confuse fleas with ticks, so here are some key differences between the two.

 

Ticks

• Related to spiders 

• They are bigger than fleas, about ¼ -⅛ inch long 

• They can have multiple hosts; from humans to snakes to dogs. 

• Ticks can lay thousands of eggs at one time, wow! 

• Carries multiple diseases

​

Fleas

• Can lay up to 40 eggs a day 

• Can live up to 100 days and will have one host 

• Carries tapeworm and baronellosis.

​

Tick Removal Techniques

If you find ticks on you the most common method to remove them is using tweezers. Thin, fine-nosed tweezers should be placed as close to the skin as possible and a firm grip placed on the tick’s head. Do not twist or bend the tick, to prevent mouth parts left behind that can cause further infection, but use a quick upward motion to remove them. Wash the bite area and use anti-bacterial medication to prevent infestations.

 

Tick Prevention

There are several things you can do to prevent ticks:

• Remove vegetation, Ticks love long grass and vegetation, so keep it away from your property and avoid it as much as possible.

   

• Use DEET. Not only helps with mosquitoes, but effective against ticks, too.

   

• Tuck socks into pants and wear long sleeves. Ticks want bare skin. Wearing longs sleeves gives them nothing to dine on.

   

• Wear light colored clothing. That way you can more easily spot ticks and remove them.

​