Keeping Your Home Flea Free
Keeping your home flea free begins with knowledge. As a result, that’s where I will begin. Fleas are small flightless insects that form the order Siphonaptera. As external parasites of mammals and birds, they live by consuming the blood of their hosts. Adults are up to about 3 mm (0.12 in) long and usually brown.
Bodies flattened sideways enable them to move through their host’s fur or feathers; strong claws prevent them from being dislodged. They lack wings and have mouthparts adapted for piercing the skin and sucking blood and hind legs adapted for jumping.
The latter enables them to leap a distance of some 50 times their body length, a feat second only to jumps made by froghoppers. Larvae are worm-like with no limbs; they have chewing mouthparts and feed on organic debris.
While pets may be our best friends, they can have other “friends” we don’t necessarily want hanging around. Fleas are some of the worst friends your pet could have. They not only use warm-blooded animals as food but also cause allergic reactions with their saliva that can create itches that are scratched all the way into a scab.
So, how do we prevent these pests from inviting themselves into our homes?
It can be tricky to know how to get rid of fleas. But, other measures include washing your pet’s blanket and carrier. You should also take seat cushions off of couches and chairs and vacuum the cushions. Also, vacuum cracks in chairs and couches. Be sure to throw your vacuum bags outside in garbage cans.
The first line of defense is keeping fleas and ticks from setting up housekeeping on your property.
If you live in a home with a yard, that means keeping your grass mowed and shrubs trimmed back. This simple landscaping move is the opposite of curb appeal to fleas and ticks because they have less place to hide.
Next, discourage feral pets and wildlife from coming into your yard and bringing their fleas with them. Opossums, raccoons, and feral cats are the worst offenders. Consequently, don’t invite these critters by leaving bowls of dog or cat food outside.
If you do end up with a flea infestation, you’ll likely have to hire a pest control service to remove it