Fleas In A House

Fleas in a house can be a huge problem.  In this post I’d like to explain a few of the most basic problems we have when controlling fleas.

1.  Inadequate Prep:

You must do ALL the prep work BEFORE a flea treatment.  If the prep is inadequate or not done, the chances for achieving control are slim to none.  The most important part of the prep is the vacuuming.  The reason for this is that the pupal stage of the flea life cycle is impervious to pesticides.  The beater bar on a vacuum forces the pupal casings to hatch.  This is when an adult flea will come in contact with the pesticide.

2.  The source- cats vs dogs

This problem is usually a technical problem for the the pest control company, but you as the homeowner should know why.  The difference between a dog versus a cat having fleas is that cats jump onto things and drop eggs in places dogs can’t reach.  These areas are sometimes overlooked or not accessible thereby leaving stages of the life cycle intact.  If you have a cat with fleas it’s much more difficult to get control.

3.  Cluttered Basements

If you have fleas in a basement with a lot of storage the likely hood of fleas hiding in and between the storage is high.  Unfortunately, in order to get rid of the fleas it may become necessary to empty the basement of storage.

4.  Source of fleas is another animal

Be sure YOUR animal is the problem.  Sometimes people end up with fleas from wildlife such as raccoon’s and stray cats.  These animals sometimes will invade a home and hide in crawl spaces.  If you have a crawl space that is not accessible to human entry this scenario is entirely possible.

5.  Fogging for fleas.

Many people head to Home Depot for fogging cans and “bomb” their own home.  This method of flea control can work, but more often it will fail.  A direct application to floor surfaces is more likely to be effective.

6.  Wide plank wood floors

This type of floor while great to look at can be a problem for fleas.   Fleas lay eggs in the cracks between the floor planks and it becomes difficult to treat.  This problem is easily overcome, but nonetheless it exists.

The preceding are just a few of the problems that we experience.  There certainly there are more, but these are the most common.  If you think you have fleas, please call Envirocare at  1-888-879-6481.  We can help.