Flea Control

Fleas are tiny, laterally flattened parasites that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals. They are involved in the transmission of serious diseases.

Fleas are very small, laterally flattened insects of the order Siphonaptera that feed upon the blood of their host animals. There are many species of fleas, most of which are named for their preferred hosts, like the cat flea pictured on the right. But fleas aren't as picky as their names imply, and most species will feed on the blood of any convenient warm-blooded if their preferred hosts aren't available.

Most residential flea problems occur in households with pets, especially dogs and cats, and properly treating the animal for fleas is essential to effective flea control in the home. For maximum effectiveness, animals should be treated at or about the same time that the home is being treated.

There are several options for flea control on dogs and cats including shampoos, cream rinses, powders, and systemic products that are applied to the animal's skin and absorbed into the bloodstream. All of these treatments have their advantages, disadvantages, and risks; so we urge pet owners to contact their veterinarians to schedule flea treatment for their animals at or about the same time that we will be treating their homes. (Rid-A-Critter does not not treat animals for fleas.)

Sometimes homes without pets can have flea problems, usually because the home has a problem with vertebrate pests such as mice or rats. In these cases, treatment for the host pest should be performed before the flea problem is addressed. Another situation that occasionally happens is that a family will move into a home or apartment that previously was occupied by a family with animals, and will "inherit" the previous occupants' flea problem. Because fleas can live for as long as a year between meals, this can happen even if the home was empty for a long time before you moved in.

Fleas and Disease

Fleas also are notorious disease vectors. Fleas are required vectors in the transmission murine typhus and bubonic plague, and as such have been involved in countless millions of illnesses and deaths throughout history. Although typhus and plague are less frequent in the United States nowadays, almost all instances of tapeworms in children can be traced to their ingesting a flea carried by a family pet, and cat scratch fever is still a common disease.

Even fleas that aren't carrying any of these diseases can cause a nasty rash that may become infected when the patient scratches it. Sometimes these rashes are the first sign that a home has a flea problem, after affected individuals see their doctors about mysterious rashes that the doctor identifies as flea bites.

Flea Control

Flea extermination is one of the more challenging jobs performed by pest control operators in Atlanta and throughout Georgia. Like all of the work we do, we emphasize the use of non-chemical control measures as the major part of flea control, with insecticides being applied only after proper non-chemical preparation.

Prior to our technician coming to your home to perform flea control work, it's vital that you prepare your home for flea treatment by doing the following:

• Vacuum all carpeting and upholstered furniture. Use a new bag, if your vacuum cleaner uses one. Pay special attention to areas where your pets tend to linger.
• Wash or dry-clean all draperies that extend to within a few feet of the floor.
• Vacuum all mattresses and wash all bedding in the hottest water it can tolerate.
• Wash all pet bedding.
• Remove any items from the floor (storage boxes, etc.) that will obstruct treatment.
• Schedule your pet to be treated at the same time your home is treated, or as close as possible (and preferably before) the time your home is treated.
• Arrange to be out of your home for several hours after the treatment is finished because the flea control products we use will need time to dry.

Flea treatment is difficult work. Following all of the above steps will help us to minimize the use of insecticides while maximizing the effectiveness of your flea control treatment.

For help with flea control or any pest control problem, please call us today.