How To Keep Fleas Out Of Your Southeast Florida Home

If you have cats and dogs, you are probably already familiar with fleas, but did you know that even homes that don’t have pets can have flea problems? Wildlife in your yard can carry fleas that will hitchhike their way into your home. Fleas are more than just nuisance pests; they are a health risk for your family and pets. 

When everyone in your house is scratching at flea bites, it is time to take action and contact a local Southeast Florida Pest Control company for help. If you are searching for the best way to get rid of fleas in your home, you have come to the right place. We’ll also show you some tips for flea prevention to keep them from returning.

Fleas: Facts And Identification

The following are some facts about fleas in Southeast Florida and ways you can identify them:

• It may be hard to locate fleas in your house because of their size; their bodies are between 1/12 and 1/6 of an inch in length.
• They are dark brown to reddish brown and have a flat shape.
• Fleas have larger hind legs that make them powerful jumpers; they can jump long distances and up to eight inches vertically.
• They have backward-facing bristles that help them to travel through fur, hair, and feathers.
• Flea bites will often appear on people in folds of the skin, ankles, and legs. They leave small red bumps in a cluster or line with a red halo around them.
• Fleas live up to 100 days and can produce 2000 offspring in that time. The flea life cycle makes them especially challenging to eradicate.

Contact a local company with flea control experience if you suspect a flea problem.

Why Having Fleas In Your Home Is A Health Risk

Flea prevention can help protect your family and pets from several health risks. Before fleas find their way into our homes, they often hitch rides on rodents and wildlife. Flea bites can transmit a bacterial disease called murine typhus to people after feeding on infected rats. 

Having fleas in your house also subjects people and their pets to parasites, like tapeworms. Fleas can also cause anemia in pets by feeding on their blood. Flea saliva can cause dermatitis in pets, and their debris can cause similar allergic reactions in people. Some people also have allergic reactions to flea bites; if you experience wheezing or shortness of breath, seek medical attention. 

Five No-Sweat Tips To Prevent Fleas In Your Home

Here are five tips you can use in your home for flea prevention: 

1. Regularly bathe and groom pets, and speak with your veterinarian about putting your pets on year-round flea medication.
2. Frequent vacuuming can help to interrupt the flea life cycle by eliminating the eggs hidden in carpets and cracks in the floor.
3. Regularly wash bedding, including any blankets or beds your pets use.
4. Keep your lawn well groomed so it will be less attractive to rodents and wildlife that carry fleas.
5. Keep dogs leashed when walking outdoors.

A professional pest control company is your greatest asset for flea control and prevention.

The Best Way To Completely Get Rid Of A Flea Infestation

The flea life cycle makes them difficult pests to eliminate. The service techs at Squash A Bug Pest Control know what it takes to get rid of fleas in your home. We’ll work with you to find the best flea prevention and control measures to keep your family and pets safe and flea-bite-free.