Jul 1, 2019 | Pest Control
Nothing puts a stop to outdoor summer fun faster than an encounter with a tick or flea. A bite from either is irritating and sometimes painful, but they can also cause a host of issues down the road.
Flea Bites
Bites from fleas are typically small, red bumps with a small halo that normally appear in a sequence of three to four. While pet owners are at a bigger risk of dealing with flea infestations, wandering wild animals or strays in your neighborhood can bring fleas in your yard causing a headache.
For humans, flea bites are very irritating, and the itch can lead to increased scratching. The excessive scratching can break the skin and cause secondary infections from bacteria. For your furry family members, flea bites can lead to severe dermatitis from a flea allergy, possible transmission of tapeworms, or anemia.
These bites can go away on their own; the use of calamine lotion can help with the itch. The best practice however is flea prevention. Fleas thrive in lawns with tall grass, so keeping lawns cut low and maintained will help with flea infestations. Also, regularly bathe and treat pets with preventative treatments year-round.
Tick Bites
Ticks, like fleas, rely on tall grass to have access to hosts. They will position themselves at the very top of a blade of grass. Once a host brushes past, they will have the opportunity to bite and attach. Deer ticks, which are very common here in the South, fortunately do not always carry disease, and if they do, they would need to feed for up to 48 hours before a disease can be transmitted. This is why inspection of yourself and your family members after spending time outdoors is essential. Removal within 24 hours reduces your chances of being exposed to tick-borne illness, like Lyme disease.
When removing a tick, it is very important to remain calm. Pull back any hair from around where the tick is located. Find the head, and using tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. DO NOT grasp the body of the tick as this can squeeze the tick’s blood into the skin. Once you have a firm grasp on the head, pull in a straight motion, outward. Be sure to not twist when you pull as this can cause a tear, leaving the head to stay attached to the skin. Clean where the bite occurred and immediately flush the tick down the toilet or wrap tightly in tissue/paper towel and place in a trash can with a lid.
If you are going to be out in heavily wooded areas where the grass is unkept, wear long pants or high, light colored socks. Make sure to remove woodpiles from around your home as this makes a great hiding place for ticks. Using an insect repellant with DEET when outdoors is another great preventative measureto take against a possible tick encounter.
If you are having issues with fleas or ticks, contact your local pest control company or schedule a free inspection now.
Jul 14, 2016 | Pest Control
Warm, humid summer weather is the perfect breeding environment for fleas. Fleas are parasites that feed on the blood of pets and humans, and although they prefer nonhuman hosts, they will bite people in heavily infested cases. Flea bites are characterized by small, red, itchy spots on the skin that may bleed if scratched or irritated. Sometimes flea bites can go unnoticed if no reaction occurs.
About Fleas
Flea infestations can develop quickly inside your home but often go unnoticed until the problem is severe. Because fleas are most active when they’re hungry, an infestation is more apparent when you’ve been away from your home, like on a summer vacation. And controlling fleas can be challenging since each stage of fleas in their life cycle has to be controlled – eggs, larvae, pupae, and adult fleas. Flea eggs are usually laid in large numbers on a host, such as your dog or cat, and then fall off onto pet beds, upholstered furniture, and carpeted floors. Within a few days or weeks, these eggs develop into flea larvae. Larvae is often hard to find, hiding deep down in carpeted surfaces and furniture, making it a challenge to control the flea infestation. The flea larvae then develops into pupae, and then into adult fleas within a couple of weeks. So if you’re seeing adult fleas (the easiest and most common flea stage to spot) on your pet or in your home, it’s an indication of a bigger issue: a full-blown flea problem.
Tips for Getting Rid of Fleas
So, what should you do if you’re seeing fleas? Start with your pets. They should be bathed and treated with flea medication to kill any adult fleas that may be on them. Then you’ll want to thoroughly clean your home – dust and sweep hard surfaces, vacuum carpet and upholstered furniture – paying close attention to the areas frequented by your pet. Be sure to wash pet beds, blankets, and toys in a hot water cycle too. Throw out anything that’s not machine-washable.
Flea Treatments
Once you’ve cleaned your home, it’s time for flea treatments. We recommend using liquid pest products specially formulated to control fleas throughout the house, again focusing more on the areas your pet plays, sits, walks, and sleeps on. You’ll want to remove pets from your home before doing this and allow the products to completely dry before they return. Insect growth regulators (IGR) are popular treatment options for fleas since they are made to prevent flea larvae from developing into the pupae stage. If your pets spend a lot of time in any particular area outside of your home, you’ll want to consider treating these spots for fleas with a flea insecticide for yards.
You’ll need to repeat this process of cleaning and flea treatments (according to the products’ directions) until the flea infestation is eradicated.
Our best tip for getting rid of fleas: prevent a flea infestation before one starts. Keep your pets on routine flea medication and bathed regularly. Also consider a preventative home pest control program from a professional exterminator. These programs usually consist of interior and/or exterior treatments done quarterly for common household pests. And if you still end up with a flea problem, your pest control provider can give you effective flea control recommendations that work fast, usually as a low-cost, add-on service.
Jul 14, 2016 | Pest Control
Warm, humid summer weather is the perfect breeding environment for fleas. Fleas are parasites that feed on the blood of pets and humans, and although they prefer nonhuman hosts, they will bite people in heavily infested cases. Flea bites are characterized by small, red, itchy spots on the skin that may bleed if scratched or irritated. Sometimes flea bites can go unnoticed if no reaction occurs.
About Fleas
Flea infestations can develop quickly inside your home but often go unnoticed until the problem is severe. Because fleas are most active when they’re hungry, an infestation is more apparent when you’ve been away from your home, like on a summer vacation. And controlling fleas can be challenging since each stage of fleas in their life cycle has to be controlled – eggs, larvae, pupae, and adult fleas. Flea eggs are usually laid in large numbers on a host, such as your dog or cat, and then fall off onto pet beds, upholstered furniture, and carpeted floors. Within a few days or weeks, these eggs develop into flea larvae. Larvae is often hard to find, hiding deep down in carpeted surfaces and furniture, making it a challenge to control the flea infestation. The flea larvae then develops into pupae, and then into adult fleas within a couple of weeks. So if you’re seeing adult fleas (the easiest and most common flea stage to spot) on your pet or in your home, it’s an indication of a bigger issue: a full-blown flea problem.
Tips for Getting Rid of Fleas
So, what should you do if you’re seeing fleas? Start with your pets. They should be bathed and treated with flea medication to kill any adult fleas that may be on them. Then you’ll want to thoroughly clean your home – dust and sweep hard surfaces, vacuum carpet and upholstered furniture – paying close attention to the areas frequented by your pet. Be sure to wash pet beds, blankets, and toys in a hot water cycle too. Throw out anything that’s not machine-washable.
Flea Treatments
Once you’ve cleaned your home, it’s time for flea treatments. We recommend using liquid pest products specially formulated to control fleas throughout the house, again focusing more on the areas your pet plays, sits, walks, and sleeps on. You’ll want to remove pets from your home before doing this and allow the products to completely dry before they return. Insect growth regulators (IGR) are popular treatment options for fleas since they are made to prevent flea larvae from developing into the pupae stage. If your pets spend a lot of time in any particular area outside of your home, you’ll want to consider treating these spots for fleas with a flea insecticide for yards.
You’ll need to repeat this process of cleaning and flea treatments (according to the products’ directions) until the flea infestation is eradicated.
Our best tip for getting rid of fleas: prevent a flea infestation before one starts. Keep your pets on routine flea medication and bathed regularly. Also consider a preventative home pest control program from a professional exterminator. These programs usually consist of interior and/or exterior treatments done quarterly for common household pests. And if you still end up with a flea problem, your pest control provider can give you effective flea control recommendations that work fast, usually as a low-cost, add-on service.
