Flea Control on Vancouver Island
Hire our exterminators at The Pest Doctor today for flea control on Vancouver Island. Fleas are parasite-like insects that feed off the blood of a host, usually a pet like a dog or a cat. But fleas can also affect humans, and therefore it’s important to make sure your home or office is flea-free.
While fleas do not have wings, they are capable of jumping long distances from one animal to another, including dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, and other domesticated and wild animals. Get in touch with The Pest Doctor in Nanaimo and surrounding areas if you suspect your property has been infiltrated by fleas. We can offer an estimate and inspection.
Flea Infestation: What You Need to Know
Fleas are small, dark, reddish-brown, wingless, blood-sucking insects that may attack a wide variety of warm-blooded animals including dogs, humans, chickens, rabbits, squirrels, rats, and mice. Fleas don’t have wings for flying but long legs well adapted for jumping up to 15 cm.
Flea infestations are not always a sign of poor hygiene. It may be that a localized area of poor hygiene, i.e. a pet’s bed, could create an infestation. Good hygiene practices however are crucial to the eradication of the infestation.
Before Treatment
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Plan to be away for at least 6 to 8 hours after application. This includes most pets. Fish tanks should be covered and the filter turned off. Plants are ok.
a. Small children of 2 years and under, pregnant women, and people with respiratory or cardiac problems should be out overnight according to the BC Ministry guidelines. Apply these same guidelines to special-needs pets.
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Pick up all articles off the floor, from under beds and closets such as toys, papers, boxes, shoes, clothing, etc.
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Cover and put away all food.
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To create the most favourable conditions for the insecticide to work, clean and vacuum the entire area of the house, paying particular attention to pet areas. Carefully vacuum the edges of carpets and floor/wall junctions as well as around any large heavy items of furniture that cannot be moved. Don't forget to vacuum cushions, beds, both sides of throw rugs, and beneath the furniture. After vacuuming, seal the vacuum bag in a garbage bag and discard it in an outdoor trash container. Use dryer heat on the hottest setting for any suspect pieces. Consider disposing of any badly infested items. Washing is optional.
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Treat all animals for fleas. Thankfully, ridding your pet of fleas is a lot easier than it used to be, and there is now a large range of ‘state of the art products available which are effective and safe: 'Spot on the back of the neck' preparations, tablets, shampoos, etc.
Application
A residual quick-drying pesticide is sprayed onto the floor surface area, and it kills 98%-100% of adult fleas within 12 hours of application which then kills any new fleas within 2 hours of them jumping on the treated surface - well before they have a chance to lay more eggs and thereby breaking the flea’s life cycle.
After Treatment
Do not clean or vacuum floors for at least 14 days following the treatment. Then resume only when there has been no flea activity for at least 3 days.
What to Expect
Flea eggs will hatch at different times and no treatment can affect fleas before they hatch since the cocoons are resistant to insecticides. Expect to see some fleas for 2 weeks or longer following treatment. These "survivors" are newly emerged and will succumb to the insecticide. If adult fleas continue to be seen beyond 4 weeks, do not hesitate to give us a call.
Flea Cycle:
In any flea infestation, there are four stages of the flea life cycle present: the egg, larva, cocoon, and adult. While the adult is the most visible stage of flea development, it accounts for only 1% of a typical infestation. Adult female fleas feed and then lay their eggs on a host. Their eggs make up 34% of the infestation. Flea eggs fall off the host into carpets and upholstery where they hatch into worm-like larvae after 1-10 days. Larvae make up the majority of the flea population, as much as 57%. After feeding for 5-11 days, they begin to produce a silk-like cocoon and enter the pupation stage. New adult fleas usually emerge from the pupal stage in 8 days, but they will remain inside their cocoon until it senses the presence of a blood meal to ensure their survival. It may stay protected in this way for up to 1 year.
1 ADULT FLEA CAN LAY 50-60 EGGS EACH DAY ! ! !
