If you’re having issues with fleas or any other pests, then it’s time to call a Tulsa pest control company that you can trust. In our homes, our pets can be just as much a part of the family as any other member. Dogs and cats are especially loved by many households in America. It’s important to protect our loved ones, including our dogs and cats, from parasitic pests such as fleas. Fleas can be uncomfortable, and in some cases even dangerous do your pets. In this article, let’s take a good hard looking fleas, their life cycle and will you and your Tulsa pest control company can do to keep them out of your home and away from your loved ones.
BLOOD FEEDING FLEAS AND TULSA PEST CONTROL
Fleas are blood feeders. They feed on the blood of mammals. These parasitic insects are not picky when it comes to the host that they choose. In North America, we have the cat flea. In Europe they have the dog flea. While these fleas are two different species, they are not picky about which animal they choose to feed off of, despite their names.
Fleas use a complete metamorphosis for their lifecycle. This means that they start as an egg. The adult flea lives on the host animal and lays its eggs at the base of a piece of fur. As the dog or cat scratches, the eggs are broken loose from the fur and fall to the ground. This usually happens somewhere in a high traffic area such as around the sleeping area of the animal. Your Tulsa pest control company will have more information.
FLEA DEVELOPMENT AND TULSA PEST CONTROL
When the egg senses a possible host animal near through vibration and heat, it will emerge from the egg. This larva will be a worm like insect. It will feed off of flea dirt. Flea dirt are the droppings of adult fleas that fall off the animal. This flea dirt will have bits of dried unconsumed blood that will be in their dung. This will nourish the newly hatched larva. In addition, there will be enzymes that will give the new young flea the gut biome it will need to break down the blood of the host animal as an adult.
As the larva develops, it will eventually decide to pupate. In the pupa form, it will find debris around it, such as fur, dust, hair, or anything else you can use to create a cocoon like structure around it. Inside the cocoon, it will continue to develop until it becomes an adult flea. Once it becomes fully developed inside the pupa, it will wait until it senses a host animal nearby. Again, this will be through vibration and heat. Once it determines that there is a host animal near by, it will break through the cocoon and come out as an adult flea. Contact your Tulsa pest control company for help.
ADULT FLEAS AND TULSA PEST CONTROL
The adult flea is highly motivated to attach itself to a host animal as soon as possible. The way it does that is with two powerful hind legs, it can jump extremely long distances to attach itself to a host animal. Once it does, its fore legs are hinged the opposite of most normal insects. This gives it the unique ability to grasp onto fur quite strongly. Even when the animal scratches vigorously, these fleas can hold on tight and keep from being thrown from the animal. Male and female will mate and the female will lay her eggs at the base of the fur starting the cycle all over again.
Because fleas are blood feeders, they are also vectors for many different diseases. The bubonic plague was a very famous disease that spread around Europe through the middle ages. It was a bacteria that was spread through flea and rodent bites. Bubonic plague is still with us today, and is found often in the southern part of the United States. While the disease is treatable in its early stages, it is still dangerous, and must be protected against. Other diseases, such as cat scratch fever, anemia, and murine typhus are passed, not only to our pets, but also to us through a flea bite. It’s important to protect your home from fleas to keep the disease from coming into your home. Contact your Tulsa pest control company for a free estimate.
FLEA TREATMENT AND TULSA PEST CONTROL
If you’re having an issue with fleas, it’s important to remember that there are essentially three areas that need to be treated for the fleas. The first area would be the pets themselves. The fleas that are using your animals as a host animal will need to be treated by a veterinarian. While there are many over-the-counter solutions for this, it’s often best to get a veterinarian in the loop when deciding what is the best method to eliminate fleas on your animal. There are many different options such as pills, drops, dips, collars and even injections that can be used to administer flea protection to your pet.
In addition to dealing with the fleas on your pet, you must also deal with the fleas in your home. Even if you’ve gone to your veterinarian and gotten the fleas off of your pet, in many cases, these fleas will jump from your pet and still survive in your home. They will often survive by biting you or your human family members. Treating your home for fleas is something that your Tulsa pest control company can help you with. You may have to have him treat multiple times and vacuum often between each time that he treats. The vacuuming mimics a host animal’s vibration and heat that will convince hidden larva or pupa to emerge from the eggs or pupa in order to move through their lifecycle.
If you’re having issues with fleas, or any other pests, then it’s time to call your local Tulsa pest control company. Here at TermMax Pest Control, we are the best of the best when it comes to dealing with fleas, or any other pests. We service agree to Tulsa area, including Bixby, Jenks, Broken Arrow, Coweta, Claremore, Catoosa, Owasso, Turley, Sand Springs, Prattville, Sapulpa, and much more. Call today for a free estimate. We are here to help!