FLEAS
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The tropical climate of Cairns can allow for quite a lot of flea infestations throughout the warmer months. As it warms, Fleas will begin to emerge from their pupae as adults and move to the nearest cat or dog for blood meals. Adult fleas will mate shortly after emerging and begin laying eggs in under 40 hours. In her short 50-day lifespan, a single flea can lay more than 2000 eggs. Fleas are incredibly adapted for survival. The female will lay eggs on a host animal only for the eggs to fall to the ground, dog’s bed, owner’s bed, carpet or sofa where they’ll hatch in two to five days. Once hatched the Flea larva will feed on organic matter in the environment, and then after a week or two the larva will spin a pupa (or cocoon) to protect itself during metamorphosis to adulthood. In the tough shelled pupa, the larva will transform from a tiny grub like creature into a six legged blood thirsty jumping machine that is able to leap 160 times its own body length, and then the cycle just goes around again and again. |
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Signs of infestation
Fleas are masters of their domain and can hide in your pet’s hair without you being aware of it, so don’t rely on seeing fleas to know if they’re there. Instead look for evidence.
Look for your pet regularly scratching, this can also sometimes be dry skin, an allergy or mange mites. If he is biting at his rear end especially around his tail or inside and outside of his thighs this is also another telltale sign.
Treatment
Generally, if you are regularly treating your pets for fleas than you shouldn’t end up with a major outbreak in your house or around your property.
In most cases you may find fleas on your pets and have them treated and it will most likely sort out the problem on your pet.
However, if you or your family are regularly getting bitten in certain areas of your house or on your property than no amount of treatment to your pet will fix the infestation in your house and around your yard.
It’s time to call in the professionals. As described earlier, the flea life cycle is a very complex thing and using over the counter chemicals will most times help to kill the current flea population but will have no effect on the eggs waiting to hatch, and the cycle just repeats.
A professional pest control technician will treat your property with products that knock down the current infestation and also with IGRs (insect growth regulators) that will prevent any of the dormant eggs from progressing to the adult stage and the infestation is then eliminated.
If you’re having issues with fleas at your property and would like to be flea free then contact Pest Off Solutions and we can eliminate this problem for you.
Signs of infestation
Fleas are masters of their domain and can hide in your pet’s hair without you being aware of it, so don’t rely on seeing fleas to know if they’re there. Instead look for evidence.
Look for your pet regularly scratching, this can also sometimes be dry skin, an allergy or mange mites. If he is biting at his rear end especially around his tail or inside and outside of his thighs this is also another telltale sign.
Treatment
Generally, if you are regularly treating your pets for fleas than you shouldn’t end up with a major outbreak in your house or around your property.
In most cases you may find fleas on your pets and have them treated and it will most likely sort out the problem on your pet.
However, if you or your family are regularly getting bitten in certain areas of your house or on your property than no amount of treatment to your pet will fix the infestation in your house and around your yard.
It’s time to call in the professionals. As described earlier, the flea life cycle is a very complex thing and using over the counter chemicals will most times help to kill the current flea population but will have no effect on the eggs waiting to hatch, and the cycle just repeats.
A professional pest control technician will treat your property with products that knock down the current infestation and also with IGRs (insect growth regulators) that will prevent any of the dormant eggs from progressing to the adult stage and the infestation is then eliminated.
If you’re having issues with fleas at your property and would like to be flea free then contact Pest Off Solutions and we can eliminate this problem for you.
