One of the most annoying pests we treat is the flea. So tiny, yet so aggravating. If you find yourself getting bit every two seconds by fleas, you will want to use Tulsa Pest Control.. There is never just one flea! Fleas multiply quickly once they have found a good host animal. A single adult flea can lay 50 eggs per day if it’s well fed on your pets blood, and in its short lifespan can produce 2,000 eggs.
Fleas lay their eggs on other animals, not in your carpet. A common misunderstanding about fleas is that they lay their eggs in your carpeting and furniture. Fleas actually lay their eggs on their animal host. If your pet has adult fleas living in its fur, those adult fleas are doing their best to keep your pet infested with their offspring. Flea eggs however, aren’t particularly sticky or well suited for staying put, so they mostly roll off your pet and land on your pet’s bed or on the carpet. Whether you are noticing fleas on your pet, or in the carpet, you will need to use Tulsa Pest Control.
Fleas aren’t just annoying, they can be dangerous as well. Fleas are infamous for their role in transmitting the Black Death. During the middle ages, tens of millions of people died of the plague, or Black Death, as it spread across Asia and Europe. London lost 20% of its population to the plague in just two years during the mid -1600s. We finally identified the cause of the plague was a bacterium called Yersinia Pestis that was carried to humans through fleas. An outbreak of the plague often kills a large number of rodents, particularly rats, so the fleas are then forced to find a new food source in humans. When you hear the word plague, you probably think back to the mid -1600s, however the plague isn’t just a thing of the past. We are just fortunate that we now live in an age where antibiotics and sanitation practices keep plague deaths to a minimum. Another way that you yourself can keep the plague at bay, is by using Tulsa Pest Control, and making sure that you use Platinum Pest and Lawn regularly to prevent ever getting fleas.
Fleas feed on blood only. They do this by using their piercing, sucking mouthparts to drink blood from their hosts. An adult flea may take as many as 15 blood meals in a single day. Like any animal, a flea produces waste at the end of the digestion process. Flea feces are essentially dried blood residue. When they hatch, flea larvae feed on this dried blood waste, which is usually left in the host animal’s bedding. That alone is enough to gross anyone out enough to quickly use Tulsa Pest Control. Fleas are super skinny. They typically inhabit the fur or feathers of host animals. If they were built like most bugs, they would quickly become entangled. Flea bodies are quite thin and smooth, so it is much easier for a flea to move freely between pieces of fur or feathers on their hosts. A flea’s proboscis, the straw – shaped beak that enables it to pierce through skin and suck blood from its host, remains tucked under its belly and between its legs when not in use.
There are about 2,500 species of fleas on the planet. But when fleas infest a human habitation, they are almost always cat fleas. Don’t blame your sweet kitty for this annoyance, though, because despite their common name, cat fleas are just as likely to feed on dogs as they are on cats. Dog fleas can also be a pest problem but are mainly found on dogs that spend all or most of their time outdoors. Fleas prefer human environments. Fleas do not thrive in low humidity, which is why they aren’t as much of a problem in areas like the Southwest. Dry air prolongs the flea life cycle, and when the relative humidity falls below 70%, flea larvae may not survive. Bad news for us Okies is that the flea life cycle accelerates when the humidity is high. Anything you can do to try and dry out the air in your home will help you win the battle against fleas. Or of course you can use Tulsa Pest Control and we will go to battle for you!
When you use Tulsa Pest Control, Platinum Pest and Lawn will come out and treat for fleas on the interior and exterior of your home. We use only premium products that are safe for pets and children. We will do a broadcast spray over the areas that have fleas such as your carpets, rugs and upholstered furniture. We will also treat your crawl space if you have one. The customer will need to be gone while we treat for fleas and for three hours after. The pets will need to be treated at the same time for fleas, so that we are able to successfully get rid of them. The pets will also need to be away from the home or at least kenneled away from the treatment areas. Vacuuming helps hatch the eggs. We recommend vacuuming daily before and after treatment. No more than once a day however, so it doesn’t break down the products. The customer must then dump the vacuum bags in an exterior trash can. A customer may still see live fleas for up to 4 weeks while the eggs are hatching and the fleas are still coming into contact with the product. If someone was still seeing fleas after the four weeks, they would need a follow up treatment, and it may mean it was just an extremely large infestation.
Prevention is always recommended. Some ways to prevent getting fleas would be to Vacuum often, dust, wash all bedding regularly, use topical treatments on your pets and check your pets regularly for fleas. You may also prevent getting fleas by mowing frequently! Mowing exposes the soil to the sun, which fleas try to avoid. Avoid over watering. Remember fleas thrive in humidity, so keeping your yard dry will make it less inviting.
