Fleas don’t have to be lived with if you call your Tulsa exterminator today. Fleas are a bloodsucking parasite that attacks our pets and loved ones. They are very open to feeding on multiple different animals, including dogs and cats, exotic pets, and even us. Our blood is just as rich to them as any other animal. These fleas can also spread many different diseases that can cause you or your pets to be sick. So in this article, let us take a good hard look at fleas, their lifecycle of what you and your Tulsa exterminator can do to protect yourself from these harmful insects.

FLEA LIFECYCLE AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Fleas use a development known as complete metamorphosis to grow into an adult. This means their life cycles have four very distinct different stages. They go through the eggs, the larva, the pupa, and the adult stage. The first three stages are all found off of their host animal. The pregnant female will lay her eggs on the base of a piece of fur on the host animal. As the host animal scratches, it will knock these eggs off, on to the ground usually somewhere in a high traffic area or near their bedding. These eggs will wait until they feel the vibration and heat of a host animal nearby, and then will emerge as a larva. The larva is the worm version of this insect.

The larva will immediately begin to search for food. The food of choice for these insects is flea dirt. Flea dirt, or the droppings of the adult flea have been laid on the pet and then fall off because of scratching. Inside this dirt, flea larva will find undigested dried blood and the gut biome necessary to break down all of these blood types. As it consumes the flea dirt, and anything else that it can find, it will eventually grow to the point where it needs to move to its next stage of development. 

PUPATING FLEAS AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

This is the pupa stage. In the pupa stage is where it will cocoon up and develop into an adult in a protective shell. Much like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, this insect will find any kind of hair or dirt that I can place around itself to create this cocoon. Once inside, it’s protected from pesticides and any other attackers. It will completely developed to the adult stage, until it must waiting for a host animal to come nearby again. Then the adult will emerge from the cocoon. Contact your Tulsa exterminator for help eliminating fleas.

JUMPING FLEAS AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Now that the flea is in its adult form, it needs to get onto the host animal for the final part of its lifecycle. Getting on the host animal is integral to the flea. On it, the flea will find its food source, connect with other fleas and mate, and use the body heat of the animal in order to survive the cold harsh winter months. In order to get onto a host animal, the flea will get as high as it can finding its way up to the top of foliage or carpeting. It will wait till the host animal comes near and then all of the sudden it will jump as high as it can and attempt to fling itself onto the animal. Fleas have the ability to jump 50 times their own height and almost 100 times their length in distance. 

They have two front legs that are hinged backwards that give them a scissor like grip. This gives them the ability to clasp on to the fur and hold tight for dear life. Not only will they find their way onto the host animal, but be able to stop itself once they land. They will also use this ability when the host animal decides to scratch  so they can hold on again and survive the onslaught. Contact your Tulsa exterminator for help in getting fleas off your pets and yourself.

ELIMINATING FLEAS AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Do you know how to get fleas out of your house? You have to eliminate them from three different places. The first place you’ll need to eliminate them is from your pets. Your cats and dogs will need special treatments that can only be provided by your veterinarian in order to remove fleas from them. If you have other exotic pets, such as Gerbils, rabbits, weasels, or other exotic mammals, then you’ll need to contact your veterinarian for specialized treatments for these animals. 

These treatments usually consist of some form of permethrin pesticide that is applied to the skin of the animal. It’s a medical grade medicine that can be applied safely. Never re-purpose over-the-counter chemicals for flea treatments on your animals. This treatment will often not only kill many of the fleas on the pet itself, but also repel some of them to jump off of the pet before they are succumb to the effects of the pesticide.

HOME TREATMENT OF FLEAS

The second place you need to treat is in your home. This is where your Tulsa exterminator comes in. They can treat your home and deal with the insects as needed. They will set up a treatment schedule that will be able to treat your home multiple times in order to eliminate every flea in your house. And then, lastly, you also may need to treat the exterior of your home. Your yard will always have some bugs in it, and some of them could possibly be fleas. But if you have an excessive flea population in your yard, a flea treatment to your yard can be very helpful. Contact your Tulsa exterminator for more details on these treatments.

If you’re having an issue with fleas or any other pests, then its time to call your Tulsa exterminator, they can help. Here at TermMax pest control, we are the best in the business when it comes to dealing with fleas, or any other parasites. We service the greater Tulsa area  including Broken Arrow, Coweta, Claremore, Sapulpa, Sand Springs, Catoosa, Prattville, Owasso, Turley, Bixby, Jenks, and so much more. Call today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!