Do you or your exterminator know how to kill fleas?

 A Revisit to the flea problems

The new veterinarian products have all but eliminated the flea problem as we knew it in the early part of this last decade, these products were highly effective for many of the pest control exterminators and the pet owners. As usual this problem could be returning due to a resistance by the flea.

Lately flea business has increased due to the resistance to some of the on animal products and a rise in the flea population on undomesticated animals. Since the building boom in the middle 2000's the human population has slowly taken over the habitat of the wilder animals especially in the rural areas, What this means is these animals have no where else to go but to the areas where humans have built buildings and these animals have infiltrated these dwelling, Coyotes have adapted real well, racoons are another one, when you see one in your back yard there is a good chance the coyote or racoons has fleas,, these fleas could have come from a neighbors yard down the street with a built in resistance to any products your pest has been on for the last year or so.

As you know Rats have always been a contributor to move fleas from one location to another, so you see animals other than your own roaming around your home can be a contributing factor for flea infestation.

If the flea population has been in decline in the past years what will that mean to you if you have a problem? I would say you either need to brush up on the know how's of flea extermination or hire a professional exterminator that knows how.

Considering the limited knowledge of the exterminators, especially for the ones who have not had to confront the problem in the last 10 years, you as a potential customer may have a problem.

The problem is this unless you or the pest control company you hire has a working knowledge of how to kill fleas then you both will be the ones to suffer, you by not getting rid of the problem and the pest company for loss of revenue. So there are some preparations to consider and know about when confronting the flea problem.

Flea Bites

Ever had a flea bite? If so, then you know how painful they can be. The problem with a flea bite is they don’t really start itching until later on and usually when you’re sleeping, then they just seem to go crazy. Fleas are a parasite and feed off blood. The problem is, when they bite you there is usually some blood left over from the last warm blooded host. So now you can be getting something else’s blood on you.

Fleas like many parasites carry diseases, because they can jump a good length, they can move from host to host, and if that host travels any distance at all then the flea can also travel that far. The best remedy for flea bites is to simply eliminate them as soon as you know you have a flea infestation.

Many people confuse a fire ant bite with a flea bite. The fire ant bite will be red and soon have a puss head to it. A flea bite is usually red and runs in a line with a few more bites and will last up to about two weeks.

Some people have a allergic reaction to flea bites, if you are one of those that do and you get bit, be sure and keep a watch on the bite and your health. If necessary get professional medical care. To see pictures of flea bites go here. To get some relief from a bite and help to keep the itching down try using Calahist lotion

As I mentioned earlier the best remedy is elimination, when you first see or feel a flea bite then take action and get rid of the fleas or learn how to kill
fleas

How To Get Rid Of fleas

Below is some questions I ran into on How to get rid of fleas

Question:

My house is infested with fleas! I have never had fleas before I moved into this house. I bought flea collars for the dogs and flea spray made especially for cats, and some spray for the carpet, but what else can I do? I need all the help I can get! Thanks.

Answers by various people about how to get rid of fleas:

If you don't want to use frontline or that other chemical they have (can't think of the name right now) you might try setting off a bug bomb (get everyone including pets, out of the house first), give dogs baths (with flea shampoo),then start feeding them small amounts of garlic, and that ought to solve the problem.

When my house was infested (many years ago) I got some bombs, spray, and shampoo from the vet. I bombed the house and the inside of my car because the dog was in there a lot. Worked great, and I have been using frontline type flea control ever since. Only have to go through it once to learn...what a royal pain! The vacuum is your friend right now too. Get every nook and cranny.

Flea collars are a scam. Get the between the shoulder flea drops and put on the pets or animals and start vacuuming every day for a month, and that should get rid of the problem.

All the above answers are very good to some degree when it comes knowing how to get rid fleas; the one thing that is missing is the follow up. You must repeat the process in 2-3 weeks to be successful. You really only need to vacuum a couple of times, more important is to get the bag out of cleaner or dump contents outside in a plastic bag and throw into garbage. Fleas will escape out of a vacuum cleaner.
Remember this if you cannot get rid of the problem please call a professional exterminator, so that the animals will not be miserable.

Good luck to you!