Fleas & Ticks
Is this your method of flea and tick removal?
Fleas are small parasitical, blood feeding insects that only reach 2 to 2 ½ mm at adulthood and are typically brownish to brownish red in color. Their body can appear somewhat flat which enables them to move quickly through an animals’ fur. Fleas are capable of jumping long distances in search of a host or a place to lay their eggs. Adult fleas are the most easily recognizable stage and adults need a host; such as a dog, cat, or rodent; to feed off of and to survive. An adult female must have a blood meal before she is capable of laying eggs. Eggs do not stay attached to the adult fleas’ host animal; they usually fall off or are laid elsewhere throughout the habitat, dispersing an infestation over a greater area.
Larvae hatching from eggs can feed on any organic matter present such as shed hair and skin cells and including feces from adult fleas which can contain trace amounts of blood to nourish them. The larvae’s food sources are not necessarily visible to the naked eye. Once hatched, larvae will feed for 7 to 20 days depending on food availability and then will spin a cocoon to pupate into an adult flea. The developing adult can remain protected within the cocoon for months until it detects favorable conditions such as: increased carbon dioxide due to a host’s presence, warmth due to a hosts presence, and/or vibrations and movements signaling a host’s presence. Once it emerges, the adult flea needs a blood meal within 48 hours and then will immediately begin to mate and lay eggs within a few days, beginning the life cycle all over again.
Understanding the fleas’ life cycle is critical to successful treatment, and due to its lifecycle, treatment is usually a multi stage, multi step process. Pets (both inside and out) should be treated with an effective flea treatment, to prevent reinfestation. Premises should be inspected for any areas that allow rodents entry and exclusion steps taken. This could even include under the building if rodents, cats, dogs, raccoons, etc. could gain access. A thorough vacuuming, with disposal of bags and or bagless contents immediately and away from the premises, can help to remove some (but not all) of the eggs, larvae, and cocoons.
A pest professional can then treat with a product that will be effective against all life stages of the flea. Pet bedding with signs of infestation, should be disposed of or washed thoroughly several times in hot water and dried on hottest settings. It is a good idea to launder all bedding and any clothing, and washable items that have been in the infested areas. And lastly, an outside treatment may be necessary if there is an infestation in the grass or vegetation surrounding the premises. Fleas outside will quickly hitch a ride back inside on you or your pets. A follow up inspection, and/or treatment may also be necessary in 7-10 days following the initial treatment. As you can see, avoiding a flea infestation is best, but if you do have one, a professional pest technician is invaluable in helping to rid you of this pest quickly and thoroughly. Many people prefer to try to “go it on their own” and treat with over the counter flea bombs and flea traps. While these may be somewhat effective on a very early, very light infestation, please be aware that fleas breed prolifically and the longer it takes to get an infestation under control, the worse and harder to eradicate an infestation will become. The bombs and traps also may not reach all areas of infestation and may not be effective at all on the larval and pupa stages as they are generally a contact, non-residual method, requiring more and more applications as fleas mature. These methods may end up costing you a bundle and still needing professional treatment after months of enduring an infestation.
And you will want to rid your environment of fleas quickly as they can make you and your pets very miserable with their itchy bites and certain species are also known to carry diseases such as plague and typhus. Anyone accidentally ingesting a small flea, larvae, or pupa or contacting infected flea feces can contract tape worms. Small children who crawl around in infested areas and may put hands in or near their mouth are especially susceptible to contracting tape worms in this way.
TICKS
Ticks are similar to fleas in that: they are small; they are both parasitical, requiring blood meals from their hosts; both tend to hitchhike on their hosts (often our pets or ourselves) and can infest both indoor and outdoor sites; both will bite humans when their preferred hosts are not available; and both can transmit serious diseases and parasites to humans and their animal hosts.
Ticks have 4 life stages: egg, larval, nymphal, and adult.
They vary in color by species, and in size by life stage and by frequency of feeding; from 1mm in larval stages to becoming engorged and bloated to 1 cm during a blood meal. They do not jump like fleas, instead they crawl, climb, and cling very well. In the larval stage, ticks have 6 legs, in the nymphal and adult stages they have 8 legs.
In each stage, ticks require blood meals from a host. Ticks can pick up pathogens and diseases from their host during feeding and pass them along to their next host throughout their life cycle. They attach to a host with their jaws buried beneath the skin during feeding and great care should be taken to ensure they are detached carefully when detected so as not to leave mouthparts buried in the skin which can cause disease and infection.
The first line of defense against tick exposure is preventive treatment for pets and repellent for yourself when you are outdoors in areas likely to be infested. Often, the first indication of exposure is seeing a crawling or attached tick. However, sometimes the first indication of exposure is signs of illness passed on by the tick when it bites. Since ticks inject anesthetic when they bite, the host may not even realize they’ve been bitten until later. Ticks can pass on numerous illnesses to their human and animal hosts. Among these are: Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Babesiosis, Tularemia, Powassan disease, STARI rash, Anaplasmosis, Colorado Fever, Erlichiosis, and Tick Paralysis among many others and newly emerging illnesses. Many of these diseases cause symptoms such as: rash, fever, head and muscular aches, abdominal pain and vomiting, and flu like symptoms. Some of the illnesses attributed to tick bites can cause long term extensive damage such as Lyme disease, and some can become life threatening if untreated. Seeing a lone tick in or around your home does not mean you have an infestation, it most likely means you or a pet have picked up a hitchhiker. However, if you see ticks frequently in or around your home, you may have an infestation and you should seek preventive treatment for your pets and have a pest professional treat the area. Ticks also breed prolifically and are a proven danger to human health. Treatment is very different than treatment for fleas, but both may be infesting your living and outdoor areas at the same time. If you suspect you have a serious tick problem, call a pest professional right away to protect your health.
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