What pest are folks calling us about most right now to treat in their home and yard? It's fleas. The fleas are horrible right now.
Fleas live by consuming blood from a host animal. Unfortunately, our beloved furry pets are often their target. Fleas are tiny (roughly 1/8" long), their bodies are flat-ish and usually brown. They don't have wings, but they do have strong hind legs and can jump a distance that is 50 times their size. Feline fleas are the type we have in our area. Fleas - they jump, and they bite. Not pleasant.
"I think I have fleas." That's a common first statement from our callers this time of year. So we set up an appointment to look at the problem to see what is going on and plan accordingly.
In the yard, we use Nygard IGR liquid as a spray to treat flea infestations. We use granules if our client only needs a flea preventative. We use granules, especially if the pets are already being treated and only have a few fleas, and the homeowner wants to treat the yard. We go back in 14 days to keep in line with the gestation period of the fleas. Usually, just two treatments are needed.
For flea infestations that are bad inside the home, we do a liquid spray treatment. When treating the inside of the home, everyone and all pets need to be out of the house for three to four hours. All belongings need to be up off the floor. We spray the floor, couches, and beds, also under all the furniture. Sometimes just one treatment is enough. The most important thing to do is to vacuum the floors and furniture. Vacuum both before the treatment and one week after the treatment.
If you think you have fleas, give us a shout and we'll check it out.