Flea Identification & Prevention

Fleas are wingless insects with oval bodies. They are flattened from side to side and covered in a hard shell that guards them from being easily squished. They have six legs covered in spines that help them move through the fur of their animal hosts. Their back pair of legs are larger than the rest and provide them with the ability to jump great distances.

Fleas are external parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts by biting through their skin. Their hosts can include dogs, cats, rodents, wild animals, and even people.

Have you noticed a potential flea infestation in your home? Have your pets been scratching more than usual? Don't ignore the signs! Fleas are dangerous pests, and keeping them from taking over our properties is vital to the health and safety of you, your family, and your pets.

Flea infestations pose various problems for people and our pets when they enter our yards and homes in College Station and Bryan.

• They carry and transmit diseases like tularemia and murine typhus.
• They spread parasitic tapeworms. 
• Flea bites are itchy and excessive itching can lead to secondary infections.
• Pets heavily infested with fleas can develop anemia. 

Sharing your home with blood-feeding pests is unnerving. Flea infestations become large very quickly and are tricky to eliminate. At first notice of even a single flea in your home, call us for assistance.

Fleas are outdoor pests that regularly find their way into our homes. These pests are capable of feeding and breeding indoors and creating large-scale infestations. Understanding how fleas enter your home can go a long way in preventing them.

After coming into contact with fleas outside, it is common for you or your pets to fleas them into your home. Rodents are one of the most common hosts for fleas and a common household pest. A rodent infestation is often the root cause of a flea infestation. Fleas are also moved from one home to another in things like upholstered furniture, bedding, and rugs.

A flea infestation can occur in homes with pets or without pets – any Bryan home is at risk of being infested by these blood-feeding pests.

Adult fleas spend their short lives on their animal hosts and move wherever their animal hosts take them. A lot of wild animal activity on your property or having pets that like to wander increases the likelihood that fleas will become a problem on your property.

Fleas live in large populations wherever there is a lot of animal activity and areas of cool, damp shade. Grassy areas like our backyards, parks, athletic fields, campgrounds, and wooded areas are places fleas thrive. Fleas in houses hide in upholstered furniture, bedding, rugs, behind baseboards, and where pets sleep and rest.

Get rid of fleas with the help of the professionals at Swoboda Pest Control. Our flea treatments are thorough. We will treat and re-treat your home consistently over a set period of time. During this time, we also ask that you follow some simple protocols to help facilitate the effectiveness of our treatments.

Fleas go through a pupae stage, during which they are enclosed in an extremely protective cocoon. It is critical that we make sure the fleas do not remain dormant and protected throughout the duration of the treatments. Ask us about our treatment options! We are proud to weather you through the storm and fully warranty our work.

Call Swoboda Pest Control immediately, and we can help stop your flea infestation from getting out of hand through our quality home pest control and commercial pest control services.

Inside the home:

• Locate heavily infested areas and concentrate efforts on those areas.
• Wash throw rugs and pet bedding.
• Vacuum upholstered furniture. Remove and vacuum under cushions and in cracks and crevices of furniture.
• Allow the carpet to dry and vacuum a second time to remove additional fleas that were induced to emerge.
• Continue to vacuum daily for ten days to two weeks to remove adult fleas emerging from pupal cocoons.

On your pet:

Use a spot-on treatment that can be purchased in pet stores or from veterinarians or a systemic oral treatment that is available from veterinarians only.

Outside the home:

Sprays are only necessary outdoors if you detect lots of fleas.

• Locate and remove debris in heavily infested areas, especially in areas where pets rest. 
• Concentrate treatment in these areas with a spray containing a residual insecticide and the insect growth regulator pyriproxyfen. 
• Open areas to sunlight by removing low-hanging vegetation.

Fleas may be small but never underestimate their ability to wreak havoc in Bryan homes and yards. Let's work together to keep them away from your home and family; call today to learn about flea control in Bryan.

To avoid dealing with fleas, it's helpful to take steps to prevent them from moving into your home in the first place. Some tips to try include:

• Work with your veterinarian to keep pets on a flea preventative. 
• Vacuum and wash pet bedding frequently.
• Check second hand items for signs of fleas before bringing them into your home. 
• Use fencing and other barriers to prevent wildlife from carrying fleas onto your property. 

For help preventing or controlling fleas in Bryan, don't hesitate to call on the experts at Swoboda Pest Control.