Fleas are tiny little insects that tend to arrive in our homes on our pets although, in this day and age where many people travel a lot more than they used to, they can arrive on us and our accessories too.

Once they are in our warm and cosy homes, they embed themselves in our sift furnishings and, sucking on us and pets for meals, they can be very difficult to get rid of.

Here are ten facts about fleas that you need to know…

  1. Fleas, like other insects, have a 4 stage life cycle: egg, larvae, pupa and adult. Knowing this cycle will help you understand how treatments needs to be applied and why sometimes, it may need to be repeated.
  2. Fleas feed on their hosts which, in the home, can be us and our pets – this is why treating pets is important too. In the ‘wild’, fleas also live on birds and other animals
  3. The female flea lays around 2,000 eggs in her lifetime – hence, having several females in your carpet or soft furnishings can soon lead to an infestation
  4. They can also live for a long time without a blood meal – up to 100 days, in fact, so again, this is important when you think about treatment and how they need to be applied
  5. The female flea can consume as much as 15 times her own body weight in blood per day! That explains why you have so many itchy bites…
  6. A flea is capable of jumping around 8 inches high which is around 150 times its own height – a bit like a human leaping a tall building!
  7. Pets that have fleas for a long time, can begin to suffer from ill-health as the flea saps it of blood
  8. Some pets also have an allergy to flea saliva; this means that, like us, they can suffer severe distress from flea bites
  9. Flea combs are a great investment and you can get rid of a few fleas easily and quickly from any pets
  10. There are over 2,000 species of flea in the UK, but the most common flea is the cat flea – but, it doesn’t just affect cats, it bites dogs and us humans too!

Getting rid of fleas

Spotting the signs of fleas earlier enough can mean that any infestation is avoided but, in some cases, by the time people realise they have a flea problem, the fleas are well-embedded in the home.

Breaking the life cycle of a flea is important; and so treating just the adults means you are only treating half the problem! Within a few weeks the infestation could be as bad as ever…

Chemical treatments are effective but, it will need to work its magic over a period of days and once this has passed, you can begin the Big Clean. But, at the same time, pets need to be treated according to your vets instructions and their bedding will also need to be washed – wash it at a temperature that is as high as possible, but at a minimum of 60°.

Mr Pesty can help you be flea-free, quickly, easily and with minimum fuss – why not give us a call?