Get Rid of Fleas in your Home or Business
Money Saving Idea
July 19, 2009
By Micheal C. Dukes
Certified PCO Georgia and Alabama since 1989
Fleas are tiny insects that have tube like mouth parts to allow the flea to pierce skin and suck blood to feed. Fleas attack a wide variety of warm-blooded vertebrates including dogs, cats, humans, chickens, rabbits, squirrels, rats, ferrets, and mice. It’s important to know just a little about a flea’s life cycle in order to help you to get rid of them.
EGG STAGE:
A flea’s life begins as an egg when 20 or so eggs are laid usually on the host or where the host sleeps or rests by the female flea. The eggs take approximately 2 days to 2 weeks to hatch.
LARVAE / PUPAL STAGE:
Flea larvae emerge from the eggs and begin feeding on dead insects, feces and vegetable matter. They keep to themselves in the larvae stage hiding in places like sand, cracks and crevices and bedding.
ADULT STAGE:
Adult fleas must have a blood meal before they can reproduce. If you have an infestation the flea population is unevenly distributed, 50 percent eggs, 35 percent larvae, 10 percent pupae, and 5 percent adults. Their life cycle can take as little as two weeks, but may last many months if conditions are favorable. Female fleas can lay 500 or more eggs over their life, allowing for alarming growth rates.
SITE PREPERATION:
Vacuuming picks up about 96 percent of adult fleas, so says a study done by the University of California. Using dehumidifiers with air conditioning may also help interrupt the flea life cycle. Make sure you throw your used vacuum bag in the outside trash.
TREATMENT:
- Make arrangements to have your pet treated at a vet.
- While you’re pet is at the Vet mix a pesticide, such as Dragnet SFR or Tengard SFR, with an Insect Growth Regulator, IGR, we recommend Archer IGR or Precor IGR on all infested areas. Evenly apply a broadcast spray at a rate of 1 gallon per 800 to 1,600 square feet to infested areas such as crawlspaces, rugs, carpets, pet beds and other pet resting areas. We advise replacing pet bedding.
- Make sure you ventilate the treated space while and after you treat.
- The pesticide will kill adult fleas and Larvae / Pupal stage fleas on contact and remain active for about 30 days killing new adult fleas.
- The IGR will coat the flea eggs and insure the hatchling will be sterile and unable to reproduce.
- Repeat this process as needed.
