Protecting Yourself From Fleas

The warmth and humidity in Florida make for the perfect breeding ground of these pesky insects. Where there is one there are thousands of others with female fleas being capable of laying several eggs after a single feeding, a near continuous process over her lifespan with eggs being capable of hatching as early as 1 day after being laid.

 The flea lifecycle is pretty straight forward. With their development beginning as eggs, to larvae, their cocoon stage called the pupae and then adulthood. The factors of the fleas ability to choose when to hatch from their eggs and cocoons, along with the females laying thousands of eggs in their lifetime.

 Prevention and treatment of fleas can be a tedious and frustrating task. There are things that can be done at home to help curb the population so that you can live comfortably. In this article, we are going to review some interesting if not disgusting facts about fleas, along with tips you can use at home.

Flea Facts

 As stated above, fleas thrive in warm and humid environments. They just need a mammalian or avian host for their diet of blood. It takes one meal for a female flea to lay multiple eggs, which unlike other insect eggs, are not sticky and will often fall to the ground.

 Fleas can hatch from their eggs in as little as 24 hours to as many as 10 days, while the larval stage lasts anywhere from 5 to 11 days at the end of which they enter their cocoon stage and “pupate.” The process itself takes about 5 to 9 days, however, if conditions are not optimal, the fleas can stay in this cocoon stage for up to 6 months, and during this time no chemicals can penetrate the cocoon. It is for this reason that most ‘bug bombs’ used at home just won’t work.

Fighting Fleas

 Reducing the flea population in your home is a process for the long haul that needs to be consistent. This includes treating not just your pets, but your home as well. Using a good flea preventative and treatment on your pets will help control the adults, however, adult fleas are just 1% of the population.

 To fight the remainder of the population you’re going to want to treat not just your home, but your yard as well. Including a flea powder in your vacuum bag will help remove any flea larvae you happen to vacuum up. Since larvae dislike light, be sure to treat the areas beneath furniture and in grooves of wooden floors.

 For your yard treatment, consider giving our professional team a call for an accurate estimate, with pricing starting at $85 for indoor pest control and $65 for quarterly perimeter treatments, we will assist you with your pest control needs. We understand that many don’t want any harm of chemical exposure in your home, which is why our professional team will use as little as possible and only what is absolutely necessary to provide optimal treatment. Call us today at Total Pest Solutions.