Flea Information Archives - Page 3 of 5

How to get rid of fleas in your bed

August 14, 2016

Parasites such as fleas make your home uncomfortable and stressful. Fleas can be hide in your sofas, beds, cushioned chairs, cupboards, etc and are not easy to find because of their tiny size. Fleas in your bed can really cause a headache. Its frustrating waking up in the morning covered in fleas and flea bites.

>>Click here to learn how to kill fleas with steam<<

How do fleas get in our beds?

There are plenty of ways fleas can get into your bed. The primary reason is if you let your pets sleep in your bed with you. When you take your pet outside for a bathroom break there is a chance they will come back with fleas. At night when you and your pet go to bed the fleas will follow you into your bed.

Fleas can also get into your bed if you buy a used mattress or sheets that already have flea eggs in them. This is why you should always wash new and used sheets before using them. You can never be too safe.

A final reason they get into your bed is if you move into a home that previously had a flea infestation. Flea eggs can remain dormant for months without hatching or dying. As soon as these dormant flea eggs feel the vibrations of a host walking by they will hatch and begin looking for the nearby host.

Apart these reasons, unclean, dirty areas give way for flea growth. If your living space is near a garbage dump or gutter, then fleas will likely sneak into your home.

If you have pets at home, say, dogs or cats or guinea pigs or any other animals, you tend to stay close to them all the time. They actually start living with you inside your house. Your pets get on to your sofas, your beds and other places where you cuddle them and play with them all day.

>>Buy a Safe, Natural Flea Spray Here<<

During this time, there are very good chances that fleas fall off from your pet’s body and get into your sofa cushion corners, your beds, your clothes and other areas. Pets are high carriers of fleas and other tiny bugs and if they continue to live with you, small bugs will definitely get into house, causing fleas in your bed, thus disturbing your personal space.

Most Effective Ways to Get rid of Fleas

Whenever you find Fleas in your bed and experience major flea issues, you must and should take proper measures to get rid of them. If the right actions are not taken immediately, it can lead to worse conditions. You can consider the following ways in which the fleas can be prevented or destroyed:

washing of beddings
use of flea powder
vacuuming
flea bombs
insect growth regulator sprays
using botanical dust plus borate acid
use of dehumidifiers
regularly bathing your pets
cleaning your car from dirt and fleas – Check out this guide here!

Bathing your pets regularly is very important because it will prevent fleas out of your pets fur. When you wash your pets, it also helps get rid of the existing ones that have been hiding in their fur for a long period time. You should use the right products for cleaning your pets. Make sure to use pet friendly cleaning and bathing products that are harmless even when used frequently. You can buy pet friendly flea shampoo here.

Another important task is washing the used clothes, bed sheets and other things so that they do not attract any bugs. When used items are kept as they are for days together, they get dirtier and become perfect hosts for fleas. Make sure that you wash them with a good detergent, in hot water and dry them well. This is very important because fleas usually cannot survive in hot conditions, thus solving your problem.

Some more methods of Flea Prevention and Removal

Vacuuming is another major part of the flea eradication process. It is best if you vacuum your sheets, carpets, sofas, pillow covers, etc every day. This will help a great deal in destroying the fleas in your bed as well as their eggs, thus putting a stop to their whole cycle.

Your task does not end here. Once vacuuming is done, garbage bags must be properly disposed, in such a way that the eggs cannot hatch. Next method is the use of a good insect growth regulator (IGR) such as pyriproxyfen or methoprene. These sprays help to stop the larvae from growing into adult fleas. Without IGRs, you definitely cannot reach the larvae and destroy them. Get strong, effective IGRs that will serve as your ultimate flea solution. A team of trained people are also usually available, who can help you in flea eradication and prevention processes by visiting your place if required.

Apart from all these, you can make use of botanical dust mixed with Borate acid which can attack upto the larvae level. While using this method, it is very important to cover your face with a mask in order to avoid breathing in of the insecticide. You can spray natural or synthetic insecticide inside your house and leave the entire space free from human interaction for a whole day.

It is also good to go for regular maintenance of your backyard where the chances of flea manifestation are high. A good dehumidifier can also work well in these situations. Since fleas stay alive at humid conditions above 50%, you can lower the humidity with the use of dehumidifiers. All these methods are very effective in getting rid of fleas from your living spaces.

Oriental Rat Flea

January 3, 2016

Of all the fleas in the world this is the scariest. You’ve probably heard of the bubonic plague or the black death. This little guy is the culprit. Many people think rats caused the spread of the bubonic plague but that only partially correct. The bubonic plague was also spread by the oriental rat flea. This flea would bite rats that carried disease and plague then would bites humans. This spread the disease at a very rapid and terrifying rate.

It’s unlikely that you’re going to find a rat flea infestation in your house or on a pet. The most common types of fleas found in homes are dog fleas or cat fleas.

Scientific Name: Xenopsylla Cheopi

Size: 1.5 to 4 mm

Appearance: Dark Reddish Brown, wingless, hard bodies, three pairs of legs

Found: Typically found in tropical climates

Oriental Rat Flea Appearance

The Oriental Rat Flea is very small ranging anywhere from 1.5 to 4 mm making them difficult to see. The outside of their shells are a dark reddish brown with a very hard, narrow body. This is so that they can easily maneuverer through fur and hair.

Rat fleas have 3 pairs of legs that are designed to propel them long distances quickly so they can easily jump onto a host. Rat fleas can be differentiated from dog and cat fleas by the outside of its body. This is because rat fleas don’t have genal combs or pronotal combs.

Most fleas go through the same basic life cycle. The life cycle has 4 seperate stages. These stages are eggs, larva, pupae, and adult flea. You wont be able to tell the difference between a dog flea, cat flea, or rat flea until the adult flea stage. If you want to know more about the flea life cycle you can find out more by reading my Flea Life Cycle article.

The Black Death

The bubonic plague is spread by infected rats, and fleas. The plague started in the late 1348 and ended around 1350. The plague killed an estimated 50 million people. This was around 60% of Europe’s population at the time.

The plague never fully died out after it ended. You can still contract the bubonic plague but it’s very rare and can be treated as long as you are quick to respond to its flu-like symptoms. If you don’t get treatment within 3-7 days it can be fatal

Symptoms:

Headache
Chills and Fever
Exhausted
Nausea or Vomiting
Backache
Soreness in arms and legs
Swelling
Hard, Painful, Burning lumps on neck, underarms, inner thighs. These bumps will eventually split open causing puss and blood to leak. Sometimes these bumps would grow to the size of an orange.

Oriental Rat Flea Treatment

When trying to remove Oriental Rat Fleas from your pets fur or your home you’ll want to treat them like any other flea. This means killing them using the same methods as usual.

If you have a rat flea infestation you may want to check around the inside and outside of your house because this may mean you have rodents in your home. Rodents are a problem that should be taken care of quickly.

1. Vacuum your home to remove as many adult fleas as you can.

2. Put any bed sheets, blankets or clothes that are out in the open into the wash.

3. Spread Diatomaceous Earth throughout your homes carpeting.

4. While the Diatomaceous Earth is doing its job give your pet a bath using flea shampoo.

5. If you want to take extra precautions to prevent fleas from jumping back onto your pet you can also apply flea drops.

6. Vacuum the Diatomaceous Earth up from your carpet.

7. Continue spreading DE through your house and vacuuming it up for a few days until the infestation is gone. If they infestation persist you can try more aggressive tactics by using a flea spray or flea fogger.

>>Check out more flea killers here!<<

Oriental Rat Flea Bite Treatment

The first sign of a rat flea bite that may contain the bubonic or systemic plague will be swollen painful lymph glands. As soon as any sort of the above symptoms start to show you should seek medical treatment immediately even if the symptoms are minor it doesn’t hurt to be safe.

If you don’t show any symptoms of plague the bites will still itch. This can be taken care of by using calamine lotion or a basic anti itch cream.

It’s important to never scratch your bites no matter how badly they itch. Scratching may lead to infection and that is more trouble than its worth. If you scratch and the bite becomes infected you should go seek a medical help to receive that proper anti-biotics.

If you have any flea related questions feel free to ask using our contact page.

Snow Fleas

November 30, 2015

Snow Fleas or Hypogastrura nivicola isn’t actually a flea at all but a small insect called a Springtail that ranges in size between 0.25 and 6mm. Sringtails are actually considered hexapods not fleas. They get their name because they have two small hooks under their abdomen that keep their tails latched under their bodies. When they want to get around they simply release the tail and that catapults them to their desired location.

Where can I find Snow Fleas?

When its warming up outside on a snowy day just go look underneath a tree where the snow is starting to melt off exposing the decaying leaves underneath. You might just see a Snow Flea. They look like little tiny black dots, almost like pepper that was sprinkled on the ground underneath the tree. Though some have spots on them similar similar to a leopard, most are black and easily recognizable.

You can find springtails in all cold climates ranging from Antarctica to the top of the Himalayas. Because of micro evolution they’ve learned to adapt to all types of cold climates by using dehydration techniques.

They’ve also been know to live in dark, damp wooden areas like in basements or bathrooms. This is means its possible they could be in your home.

Are Snow Fleas harmful?

No! They aren’t harmful at all they’re actually beneficial. They eat leaf litter and other decomposing matter on the ground. They don’t display any parasitic behavior such as blood sucking so you don’t have to worry about any bites on your or your pets.

The basic snow flea diet consists of dead plant matter such as bacteria, fungus, algae, pollen, sap, and roudworms. Because snow fleas eat decomposing matter they are very beneficial to the environment.

Read our article on the best flea killers!

Snow Flea Facts

There are more than 600 different species of snow fleas in the world.
When you find a group of them, they’re quiet fascinating to watch. It looks like thousands of popcorn kernels jumping around in a microwave.
Snow fleas mate in the spring and lay their eggs in the soil.
They are so light that they can walk on water. This is why they’re sometimes found living in water.
Young springtails are called Nymphs.
Sprintails have tails under their bodies that are held together by two hooks. When released the tail catapults the spring tail to where it wants to go.

Snow Flea Pictures

For more information on snow fleas read this book.

Flea bites VS Bed Bug bites

October 2, 2015

Fleas are the most common parasites in pets. The first symptom is the intense scratching. Fleas aren’t the only parasites that cause itching; bed bugs also cause intense itching.

As a pet owner you need to be able to distinguish which of these parasites your pet has been infested with. Itching is the first symptom for both but in order to administer the right treatment it helps to know what you are actually dealing with.

>>Find out how to kill fleas with steam now<<

Flea bites

Fleas suck blood with their special jaws. That’s what causes the skin to itch. The most natural reaction for a pet or a human being when bitten by a flea is to scratch.

Scratching causes the area where the bite took place to be infected and that only causes more itching. Some dogs and people are hyper sensitive to flea saliva, which has antigens that pets or humans are susceptible to.

In extreme cases or if the flea infestation is deal with an animal can actually damage its own skin from all that scratching. Some dogs even take to biting in an effort to relieve themselves. The infected area can develop into red painful sores. This is commonly seen on dogs at the base of their tails.

The condition can progress to a pimply sores, inflammation and hair loss. If the infestation continues unchecked the skin can become thicker and dark mostly along the back and base of the animal’s tail.

>>Click here to learn more about flea bites<<

Bed Bug Bites

Bed Bugs also feed on blood to survive. They aren’t commonly found on dogs or cats but they will move there if they cannot find a human host. On dogs and cats bed bug bites can cause irritating pink welts.

They cause itching and in some cases allergic reaction. When animals suffer from a bed bug infestation they may cause blisters, rashes and hair loss.

Unlike fleas bed bugs prefer cool temperatures and are unlikely to live long on an animal with hair that’s meant to keep the animal warm, which means that they will hop onto the next warm blooded creature.

Use our pricing tool to find the right exterminator now!

Spotting the difference

It can be difficult to spot the difference between flea bites and bed bug bites especially since animals and people might react differently to either one.

To simplify the difference without going into the anatomy of a flea and a bed bug; flea bites look like small dots clustered together whilst bed bugs are red, hard and a bit swollen like mosquito bite.

Bed bugs can be found anywhere whilst flea bites prefer the legs and ankles. Fleas bite all the time bed bugs bite periodically but they both itch like mad.

The rashes from flea and bed bug bites aren’t contagious. They are also not known to transfer disease like ticks do but you need to deal with infestations as quickly as possible and prevent them from coming back again.

(Bed bug bites on the left. Flea bites on the right.)

Treatment

Prevention is always better than finding a cure but fleas and bugs are opportunistic bugs so they will latch on to a host without warning. To prevent flea and bed bug infestations you need to bathe your pet especially if it has come into contact with other dogs or cats. Good hygiene is the best way to keep your pet healthy.

You should keep your home clean to by vacuuming as often as possible. There are a lot of flea prevention products like collars and shampoos . Use them if you never want to have to deal with a flea or a bed bug problem.

A great way to get rid of both fleas and bed bugs is Diatomaceous earth. Its a powder that kills both fleas and bed bugs when breathed in. It also can kill other pest such as tick. If your bed bug situation is really bad I recommend using a flea steamer.

If your pet develops a habit of scratching itself, get a flea comb and go through the fur. You might not find them because they move so quickly but sometimes they leave traces of their droppings behind them. Look at where your dog sleeps for little flea eggs.

Flea eggs do not cling to the host and often drop off where the animal rests, it’s always a good place to start.

Remember, bed bugs prefer human blood, so if your dog has a bed bug problem you should know that those bugs are simply waiting for a human victim. If the infestation is serious, call a professional to deal with it as soon as possible.