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Fleas

You know the feeling - an urge to scratch, some reddish coloured spots on your skin, and then, as you catch a sudden movement out of the corner of your eye, the horrible realisation that you have fleas.

In fact, you are not alone. Although its not the sort of thing you want to discuss with your friends and neighbours, fleas are reasonably common, and can easily turn up in even the best of houses. The good news is that we can get rid of them quite effectively for you.

There are about 60 different species of flea in Britain. Many of these are associated with particular animals, so the dog flea, cat flea, and bird flea are all slightly different. The human flea is fairly rare, but unfortunately although the different species of flea prefer to feed on their specific host, they will bite other hosts if they are hungry enough. Most of the flea infestations in houses, and on people, are cat fleas.

Although still common, fleas have problems living in modern houses, as they like a little humidity and undisturbed surroundings. Central heating, vacuum cleaners and regular washing of bedding in washing machines all make life more difficult for the flea than in previous centuries

The life cycle starts with a female flea laying eggs. These eggs are not usually found on the animal, but are on the floor or in the animals bedding area. The eggs hatch into larvae within 2 or 3 days and feed on any debris they can find in the cracks of floorboards and around areas where cats, dogs or birds have their regular bedding or resting places. After about 3 - 4 weeks the larvae spin a silk cocoon and inside this cocoon they turn into the adult flea. The adult flea needs some passing vibration to stimulate it to leave the cocoon. This may happen within a few days in an occupied house, but where the house is unoccupied, the fleas may remain dormant for many months. This is why entering an empty house or shed may result in a sudden and large number of flea bites, as the fleas are starving and will bite at anything. A more normal situation is where a single flea is brought into the house by a domestic pet, and the infestation then builds up until it is suddenly noticed. To complete the life cycle, the flea has to have a drink of blood before it can lay fertile eggs, and only the blood from the correct host will do. It may not be much consolation if you are bitten, but cat fleas don't actually like the taste of us !

It is important to realise that killing the odd flea seen jumping, or dusting pet animals with flea powder will not bring the infestation under control. The answer is to have a full survey and treatment of the whole house, and any adjacent outbuildings, vehicles, etc. A professional pest control operator has access to a range of insecticides which are far more effective than those on sale to the public, and also has the training and knowledge to ensure that a thorough and effective job is done.

The treatment we carry out will remain effective for several weeks, and will kill all larvae, and adult fleas that come into contact with it. After the insecticide wears away, there is always the risk that a pet animal could bring more fleas into the house.

Following the advice below will help ensure the success of the treatment

keep off all sprayed surfaces until they are dry do not vacuum clean the house for 10 -14 days (this is important - it gives the insecticide time to work - vacuum cleaning will remove the insecticide, and emerging fleas will not be killed) wash all children's toys that have been in contact with sprayed areas throw away pet food, chews, etc which are in contact with the floor treat pets for fleas. Consult your vet about the treatments that are available. We do not recommend that you buy "flea powder" or "flea collars" from a pet shop.