Fleas

Fleas prefer warm, humid conditions and are often a summer pest.

Eggs are laid loosely on the host animal (usually domestic cats and dogs) and drop off the host body in areas where frequented. This is why some people think that they are sand fleas.
Fleas can remain dormant in the pupa stage for up to a year waiting for a blood meal.
Fleas prefer specific hosts such as cat flea Found on cats dog flea Found on dogs
however if their preferred host is not available then they will feed on any other warm blooded animal.
Adult fleas excrete undigested blood as an extra food source for their young.

Fleas are wingless with legs equipped with claws, which enables them to jump onto the host animal extremely well. They are equipped with piercing sucking mouthparts.
The habit of biting (piercing and sucking) people can cause mild to severe irritation or transmit diseases such as Murine or endemic typhus Plague
It is also likely that fleas play a large role in the transmission of tapeworms through ingestion or inhaling the eggs.
Fleas inject saliva containing anti-coagulants that causes irritation which may last for days.
larvae

Try the following tips
Hygiene Wash animals thoroughly to remove any adult fleas or eggs.
Thoroughly vacuum and clean to remove eggs and larvae.
Reducing rodent problems will help stop fleas from establishing their presence in the home.
Chemical Control The host animal must be treated at the same time as the premises.
All areas, which are affected or used by the host animal, must be thoroughly cleaned prior to chemical application
Effective flea control is often well directed application of insecticide.
Only use insecticides recommended for flea control and be sure to use them in accordance with the label.
Pesticides.
Surface sprays are ideal for treating large surface areas but care should be taken when choosing which insecticide to use.
Ideally use a surface spray specifically manufactured for flea control. Check the label as some are designed to control the flea larvae also. This will help in controlling the adult and larval stage of the flea.
Space sprays or bombs containing the same insecticides, as surface sprays should be used with caution, as the fine mist emitted by them will settle on all exposed surfaces. Ensure that all foodstuffs and utensils are covered or put away prior to any treatments.

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Solution only with understanding

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You have called us because you have a flea problem. Please take a few minutes to read this
brochure so you better understand how best results may be achieved.
The life cycle of the flea is similar to that of a moth – egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (cocoon)
and adult. A newly hatched adult flea is unfed, small, black and aggressive – some people
mistakenly refer to these as ground or sand fleas. After they have had a blood meal, fleas
lighten in colour and become larger. For every flea on your pet there may be hundreds
waiting to hatch!

Sometimes flea treatments appear to be ineffective as small black fleas are seen after the
treatment. This is because the pupae are quite resistant to chemicals. Fleas continue to
emerge from pupal cases because insecticides cannot penetrate the flea pupal case. Ten fleas
can potentially reproduce to 250,000 in only 30 days!

The solution for successful flea control is:
Treatment of the pet and the pet’s environment
(if necessary in and outside the house)
along with some patience.

1) Indoors – remove toys, clothes etc from the floor. Some insecticides will affect fish.
Cover the fish tank and turn off the filter prior to treatment. Remove pets from the area to be
treated – return them only after the treatment has dried.
2) Treat the pet(s) – advice may be sought from your Veterinarian. The use of soaps or
shampoos may reduce the residual action of the treatment.
3) Be patient.
Even if everything has been done correctly, you will still see newly hatched fleas, usually
for several weeks. Do not leave flea infested areas undisturbed – movement hatches
fleas.
Do not vacuum for at least seven days after treatment. Place the vacuumings in a bag and put
in the bin.
4) Leave your pet in the flea infested areas – it will attract the fleas. If the pet is removed
from the infested area, fleas will continue to hatch for about six weeks with normal ‘human’
activity. Retreat your pet regularly according to the label of the on-animal flea product.
EXPECTATION
Fleas will be seen when an area is newly disturbed – such as when people get up in the
morning or go outside – but not later in the day in that area. If the treatments are working,
fleas will hatch, contact the treated surface (carpet, soil – treated by our company, or pet
– treated with on-animal product) and die within a few hours.

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Fleas lay eggs on the pet when the host is resting. The white eggs fall off the pet onto the
carpet,  soil etc. Small blind larvae emerge from the eggs. These larvae move away from the
light,  burrowing down into the carpet, cracks in floorboards or into the soil. They feed on
protein,  such as flea droppings of partly digested blood. They molt three times before
forming a pupa. The larva changes into the adult in the pupa. The pupa is sticky, so it binds
its surrounds to itself, becoming invisible.
In summer, a flea may be ready to hatch from the pupa about 7-14 days after it is formed,
however they can remain dormant for up to 18 months. Hatching of the flea from the pupa is
triggered by nearby movement, predominantly during warm, moist weather conditions.
After feeding on the host, the engorged female flea is ready to mate and lay eggs – about 24
hours after hatching. She is capable of laying up to 500 eggs (27 per day) over a lifetime
which may span several weeks.

A SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT MUST INCLUDE ALL AREAS FREQUENTED BY THE PET

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HELPFUL HINTS

Treat your pets as soon as you can. You will get better results if all flea treatments –
environmental and on-animal – are done about the same time.
DO NOT AVOID FLEA INFESTED AREAS AFTER THE TREATMENT – YOU WILL
REDUCE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TREATMENT – especially remember the spare
room, shed or places where the pet likes to rest.
If you remove the pet, flea problems may appear to be worse – as you have become the only
potential host.
It is best to treat before the numbers build up, there is no need to go through the discomfort of
flea bites.
Entering vacant houses will hatch any fleas waiting to hatch. This is especially a problem
with vacant rental and holiday houses.
If you are going on holidays, have a friend stomp through the house/yard several times while
you are away, especially on the day of your return – the fleas will hatch and die on the treated
surfaces before you return. (You will owe your friend big time.)