Fleas

Do you have a flea infestation problem?

The prevalent species of flea in the U.K is the cat and dog flea. however for all intents and purposes, they are the same.

They are happy living on their host species, each others species or other animals, such as birds, rodents etc. They do feed on humans, however, they cannot breed from a diet of human blood.

Effective control normally consists of one or two applications a week or so apart, using residual insecticides to carpets, rugs, hard floors, soft furniture etc throughout the affected property.

Throws, blankets, cushion covers and the like should be hot-washed or specialist cleaned.

Pets must be treated by suitable pet products (not insecticides) and animal bedding must be boil washed, or if a heavy infestation, consider throwing it away.

During such treatments, the treated rooms need to be vacated during and for an hour afterwards, ideally with windows open. Offices and other places of work are, therefore, normally treated after hours.

Once the insecticide is dry, normal life can continue, however, vacuum cleaning carpets must be avoided for 2-3 days afterwards or you’ll suck up the insecticidal residue.

HANDY TIP!

Fleas have an anasthetic in their saliva which means we only feel the itch from their bite after it wears off. This can sometimes mislead where the infestation originally occured.

If you’re not sure if the problem is at your home, office or wherever, take a few sheets of A4  cardboard and lay Gaffer tape on them so the sticky side is facing up. Place them on the ground overnight surrounding a small lamp put on the floor.

With main lights switched off, fleas will be attracted to the only source of light in the room and get stuck on the boards. You then know for sure you have fleas and can arrange treatment accordingly.

Flea Biology & Habits

Fleas are parasites, feeding directly on humans or other warm blooded animals. Usually you or your pet serve as these hosts. A flea can jump up to 20cm vertically and 40cm horizontally.

A skin reaction to a flea bite appears as a slightly raised and red itchy spot. This itch is often delayed until an anasthetic in the insects saliva wears off.  

 Fleas go through a complete metamorphosis of which there are four distinct stages: eggs, larvae, pupae, and adult. Flea eggs are laid on the host or are deposited on the floor or ground, in undisturbed areas.They also are often found in upholstery or pet’s bedding. A female flea will continue to lay 4-8 eggs every day until she has yielded up 400 eggs. These eggs will develop into flea larvae within 2 days to several weeks, depending on the temperature and humidity.

Flea larvae are active and look like maggots. The larvae will feed on organic debris, but particularly like to feed on faeces of the adult fleas as this "flea diet" contains undigested blood. The flea larvae are hard to spot and are found deep in the carpets or the cracks and crevices of floors and upholstery. They are very difficult to vacuum, because they get entwined in the carpet fibres.

The next stage, called the pupae looks like a cocoon, also hard to spot. Under warm conditions many adult fleas will emerge from their protective cocoon within 7 to 14 days, although they can remain dormant for several months until disturbed by vibrations caused by human or animal movement nearby that signifies a food source.

Whenever you see adult fleas crawling on your pet, it is only a symptom of a much larger problem. Current studies indicate that adult fleas account for only 5% of the total flea population in any given situation. Eggs account for 50%, larvae account for about 35%, and the remaining 10% are the pupa cocoons. That means that for every single adult flea living on your dog or cat, there are 10 eggs, 7 larvae, and 2 cocoons.  

Cat and dog fleas are the common pests in the U.K. Feral birds and their nests are also sources of flea infestation, (and other insects pests such as mites and lice) which can migrate indoors in search of food