Fleas are funny when they bite dogs on old cartoons, but in real life, there’s nothing funny about a flea infestation. These tiny pests have a habit of jumping on your bare feet and legs to bite your skin and leave you with red, itchy spots. If you notice your pets scratching more than they normally do, especially with their front teeth, you probably have fleas. If you discover a flea infestation, you will need to treat your pets, yard and home.
Treating a Severe Flea Infestation in Your House or Apartment
You have two options to treat fleas outside your home. You can call an exterminator or try and take care of the problem on your own. Calling a pest control company means that professional-grade insecticides will be used. This ensures that fleas are killed at any stage of life. We can also use insect growth regulators (IGR) to block the fleas’ ability to develop. They won’t be able to develop chitin. Chitin is what fleas need to produce an exoskeleton and without an exoskeleton, a flea cannot develop and grow. IGRs also prevent fleas from sexually maturing, which prevents them from laying eggs. Plant oils may be used to get fleas excited enough to move around and come into contact with the insecticides. Once fleas are gone, there are steps that need to be taken to keep them away for good. Homeowners need to sweep and mop floors, vacuum often and keep their homes as clean as possible. Outside, the yard will also need to be treated with a solution that will need to be applied in an amount that will saturate the soil. The yard will need to be mowed and grass clippings will need to be picked up before this application, otherwise more treatments will need to be used.
Home Remedies in Your Home & Yard
You can spray orange oil on carpets and furniture and use diatomaceous earth which is a fine white powder made of sedimentary rock all over the yard. The soil won’t poison the fleas, but it will cut their exoskeleton and suck the water out of their bodies. This will cause them to die in a short amount of time. Some homeowners have used ordinary table salt to kill fleas. It can be sprinkled on carpets and furniture, left for a few days and then vacuumed up. Others have been successful with Borax. There are also flea treatments you can purchase. These come in powders and sprays and can be followed up with fogging. Granules can be used outside and work better than sprays because they continue to work every time it rains or the lawn gets watered. Your pets will need to be treated with flea shampoos or dips. They should wear flea collars and take prescription products to protect them. Fleas not only make your pets miserable with the itching, they can transmit diseases that can make them sick or even kill them.
Flea Pest Inspections, Control & More in Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville, Cedar Park & Austin Texas
If you have time, patience and some determination you can tackle a flea infestation on your own, but professionals have more options and experience. They can get also get it done a lot faster. Contact A-Tex Pest Management today!