|
Got Questions?? We got answers....
Fleas! Fleas! Fleas! "What do I do about fleas??" This is the most common question I get. Let's face it. If you live in Arkansas at some point in time you have been faced with a flea problem. Now, growing up in Colorado I was never very familiar with fleas. I associated fleas with dirt, and uncleanliness. However, moving to this beautiful state I've come to realize that fleas are just apart of Arkansas life and it has little to do about hygiene.
I've done a lot of research, tried different things. I definitely have a better idea of what works and what doesn't. So, I am giving you the information that I have found successful. If you have other methods that work, by all means share with us!
First, I'm going to give you some information regarding fleas, then we'll discuss treatment.
Adult fleas are not only a nuisance to humans and their pets, but can cause medical problems including flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), tapeworms, secondary skin irritations and, in extreme cases, anemia.
Adult fleas are about 1/16 to 1/8-inch long, dark reddish-brown, wingless, hard-bodied (difficult to crush between fingers), have three pairs of legs (hind legs enlarged enabling jumping) and are flattened vertically or side to side (bluegill or sunfish-like) allowing easy movement between the hair, fur or feathers of the host. Fleas are excellent jumpers, leaping vertically up to seven inches and horizontally thirteen inches. (An equivalent hop for a human would be 250 feet vertically and 450 feet horizontally.) They have piercing-sucking mouth parts and spines on the body projecting backward. Also, there is a row of spines on the face known as a genal comb. Spine I (first outer spine) is shorter than Spine II (next inner spine) in dog fleas. Both spines are about the same length in the cat flea. The rabbit flea has a vertical genal comb with blunt spines. The genal comb is absent in both rat fleas. Eggs are smooth, oval and white. Larvae are 1/4-inch long, slender, straw-colored, brown headed, worm like, bristly-haired creatures (13 body segments), that are legless, have chewing mouth parts, are active, and avoid light. Pupae are enclosed in silken cocoons covered with particles of debris.
 |
 |
| Adult Flea |
Larva and Egg |
Life Cycle and Habits
Fleas pass through a complete life cycle consisting of egg, larva, pupa and adult. A typical flea population consists of 50 percent eggs, 35 percent larvae, 10 percent pupae and 5 percent adults. Completion of the life cycle from egg to adult varies from two weeks to eight months depending on the temperature, humidity, food, and species. Normally after a blood meal, the female flea lays about 15 to 20 eggs per day up to 600 in a lifetime usually on the host (dogs, cats, rats, rabbits, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, opossums, foxes, chickens, humans, etc.). Eggs loosely laid in the hair coat, drop out most anywhere especially where the host rests, sleeps or nests (rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, cat or dog boxes, kennels, sand boxes, etc.). Eggs hatch in two days to two weeks into larvae found indoors in floor cracks & crevices, along baseboards, under rug edges and in furniture or beds. Outdoor development occurs in sandy gravel soils (moist sand boxes, dirt crawlspace under the house, under shrubs, etc.) where the pet may rest or sleep. Sand and gravel are very suitable for larval development which is the reason fleas are erroneously called "sand fleas."
Larvae are blind, avoid light, pass through three larval in stars and take a week to several months to develop. Their food consists of digested blood from adult flea feces, dead skin, hair, feathers, and other organic debris. (Larvae do not suck blood.) Pupa mature to adulthood within a silken cocoon woven by the larva to which pet hair, carpet fiber, dust, grass cuttings, and other debris adheres. In about five to fourteen days, adult fleas emerge or may remain resting in the cocoon until the detection of vibration (pet and people movement), pressure (host animal lying down on them), heat, noise, or carbon dioxide (meaning a potential blood source is near). Most fleas overwinter in the larval or pupal stage with survival and growth best during warm, moist winters and spring.
Adult fleas cannot survive or lay eggs without a blood meal, but may live from two months to one year without feeding. There is often a desperate need for flea control after a family has returned from a long vacation. The house has been empty with no cat or dog around for fleas to feed on. When the family and pets are gone, flea eggs hatch and larvae pupate. The adult fleas fully developed inside the pupal cocoon remains in a kind of "limbo" for a long time until a blood source is near. The family returning from vacation is immediately attacked by waiting hungry hordes of fleas. (In just 30 days, 10 female fleas under ideal conditions can multiply to over a quarter million different life stages.)
Newly emerged adult fleas live only about one week if a blood meal is not obtained. However, completely developed adult fleas can live for several months without eating, so long as they do not emerge from their puparia. Optimum temperatures for the flea's life cycle are 70°F to 85°F and optimum humidity is 70 percent
O.k now that we know a little information about fleas, lets talk about control and treatment.
Flea control is best achieved with a simultaneous, coordinated effort involving strict sanitation, pet treatment and premise treatment (both indoors & outdoors).
One can monitor flea populations by placing a shallow pan of water with a little dish detergent (acts as a wetting agent which breaks water surface tension) on the floor. Position a goose neck lamp with the light on about five to six inches above the liquid surface. Adult fleas will leap toward the light at night, fall into the detergent solution and drown.
First...Prevention - Trim lawns and weeds to create a drier, less-ideal environment for flea larvae. Avoid piles of sand and gravel around the home for long periods of time. Fence yards to prevent dogs from roaming freely in heavily infested areas or contacting other infested animals. Discourage nesting or roosting of rodents and birds on or near the premises. Screen or seal vents, chimneys, crevices, etc. where rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, etc. may use to enter crawlspaces and buildings.
Second... Your home. Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. I've found that you need to vacuum no less than every other day to keep the fleas,eggs and larva at bay. Groom your pets and vacuum frequently will remove up to 95 percent of the flea eggs, some larvae and adults.
Biological War Fare!...Bug bombs or carpet spray. Make sure that what you get has an insect growth regulator (IGR), which is a hormone to prevent eggs from hatching and larvae from pupating into biting adults. Make sure you wash all your pets bedding in hot water. If you bug bomb your house please remove your pets from the house.
Pet Treatment - There are many formulations as shampoos, aerosols, dips, sprays, dusts (powders), collars, dab-ons, spot-ons and monthly tablet or oral liquid treatments. Usually, the most effective pet treatments are available through licensed veterinarians
Now... what works for me....I have found that if I combine yard treatment, home treatment and a good topical product then I can keep the flea population at bay. I have found that Frontline plus and Advantix works the best. I think that if you rotate these products they are more effective. Most topical will not repel the fleas, however once the flea bite's it's host, it will die. That is why it is important to get the fleas out of your environment as much as possible. Their is also a product called Capstar that you can only get through a Vet that will all kill fleas within hours. These are great for occasional usage.
|
