Dealing
with Fleas
Along
with headlines about super-bedbugs infesting London, there are headline that
appear regularly in various parts of the press relating to fleas.
Warm winters, lack of sub-zero
temperatures, global warming as well as fleas resistant to everything on the
planet are blamed for the annual infestation of fleas… or are they?
Is
There a Flea Problem in the UK?
Fleas have been around for
millennia, adapting their bodies and breeding cycles so that they remain embedded in
the planet.
For us, that is bad news because
it means that they are an ongoing problem that must be dealt with. And, common
to widely held belief, fleas don’t just affect households with pets: they enjoy
biting pets and humans. Or just humans.
How
Do You Know It’s Fleas and Not Some Other Pesky Critter?
Fleas, like many other bugs and
insects, bite humans to feast on our blood. Bedbugs do the same but, with
fleas, the bites tend to be haphazard with no pattern to them (bedbugs leave
bites in straight lines) and they also bite around the ankles and wrist,
although they will bite anywhere on the body.
You may also see them jumping or
hopping about and, if you do have a pet, they will also be scratching more than
normal. When you part their fur, you will see zillions of black ‘dots’ – this
is flea poop – and you may also catch sight of them scuttling about.
Got
Fleas?
If you are positive the problem
is down to fleas this is what you do;
·
Treat your pet using the latest prescription
flea treatment from your vet
·
Vacuum everything and then empty the content of
the vacuum into the outside bin
·
Wash the filters from your vacuum, if it has any
·
Wash bedlinen and as much of the soft
furnishings as possible
·
Be vigilant…
OR
You could buy in the professional
and affordable services of a local pest controller.
The problem with fleas is their
hardiness and tenacity for hiding in plain sight. There are many
over-the-counter remedies that claim they work, but do very little.
There are some things you do to
get rid of fleas that can actually make the problem worse;
·
NOT treating your home and pets on the same day
renders any treatments for your pet or your home effectively useless.
· Some products scatter the fleas rather than
killing them, such as ‘flea bombs’
· Fleas do become resistant to popular flea
treatment products and so the money you have spent on sprays is wasted
· Some treatments you ‘spray and leave’ so that it
affects every part of the flea lifecycle – vacuuming too soon stops this
process from working
