Flea Removal
What You Need to Know About Flea Removal
Flea removal is a lot more time-consuming than flea prevention, but sometimes it's what needs to be done. Perhaps you've adopted a stray pet who arrived with fleas, or a raccoon or skunk has been in your yard. Fleas happen. You need to assess the problem and deal with it as soon as you can, and as fully as you can.
As a rule, adult fleas live most of their lives on their host animal, but the other stages of fleas are very often discovered in the environment in which the pet lives. Fleas often develop in the carpeting of your house, or in bedding that's yours or your pet's. If you see one flea on your animal, that could mean hundreds of fleas in various stages in your house and outside in your yard.
Flea removal usually begins with treatment of the interior of your house. Begin by doing a thorough vacuuming, especially in areas that may be missed in quick passes of the vacuum – like under drapes and places where your pet sleeps. After you vacuum, take your bag out and put it in an airtight plastic bag and dispose of it right away.
Next, treat your household areas to eliminate the stages of fleas that your vacuum can't pick up. You will want to use a product that has a regulator to inhibit the growth of the insects, as well as one that will kill the adult fleas in your house. You may use a fogger, a carpet powder or a spray, or some combination of the three. Make sure you check with your doctor and your vet about how the products you wish to use for flea removal will impact children and your pets. Make sure that you also wash your pet's bedding once a week at least, and treat the bed and the area around it with a product that will both kill adult fleas and inhibit the growth of new fleas. Remember to treat the other places your pet spends time, like your car, his pet carrier, etc.
The next step of flea removal is to treat your outdoor areas. Usually this will involve using an outdoor spray. Treat the yard, as well as the kennel if you have one, and the doghouse. Take special care to treat areas that are warm and moist, because the flea prefers this environment. Also treat any place in your yard where your pet spends any amount of time. Clean up leaves, grass trimmings and straw, etc., if you have any of these on your property. This will break up areas that fleas would use to develop. The outdoor areas may need to be retreated every week to two weeks. Check the label on your product to make sure.
OK, your home and yard are flea-free, so what's next? Your pet. You may have already done your pet first, because you felt badly that he was scratching so much. That's fine, but treat him again when you're through with the yard and the house. Make sure you use a gentle product if you do your pet more than once, to avoid any discomfort for him.
Even after you have performed flea removal on your yard, your house and your pet (and yourself), you may still see some fleas. Don't freak out – just stay on top of the issue and don't let them win. Re-spray, re-wash, re-treat until you don't see fleas anymore.
Flea removal is not an easy or cheap process, but it is absolutely necessary to make your home livable for you and your pets.