Sure, fleas are annoying, but they are also dangerous pests for both you and your pets. Find out more about how pest control in Frisco can help you avoid the dangers of a flea infestation. We'll also cover how to tell if you have fleas in your home, the health risks fleas introduce into your living space, why it's so hard to completely get rid of fleas, and the best way to get rid of a flea infestation and keep it from returning.
How To Tell If It's Fleas In Your Home
First things first, what do fleas look like? Fleas are small, dark reddish-brown insects with six legs that grow between 1/12 to 1/6 of an inch in length. Fleas are uniquely shaped by their environment. They are incredibly thin from side to side to allow them to travel easily through heavy fur and hair, and their backmost legs are large and well-developed for jumping.
Because they are so small, you'll often have to look for signs of their presence beyond fleas themselves. Some of the most common signs of fleas include:
- Pets are suddenly scratching more often, losing hair, or developing red bumps on their skin.
- You might notice small black specks, or flea feces, scattered throughout areas where pets sleep or in their fur when you brush them.
- Flea eggs are also sometimes visible in these same spaces.
- While they can easily be mistaken for other pests, flea bites are another sign of fleas.
Of course, if you see live fleas or begin to notice these other signs of a flea infestation, the sooner you take action, the better.
Fleas Are A Health Risk For Both People And Pets
Fleas will bite both people and our pets, and these flea bites leave small painful, and itchy bumps behind. But flea bites aren't just an annoyance. They can transmit serious diseases, including the rare bubonic plague, and murine typhus, and transmit tapeworms. Flea saliva can also cause dermatitis in pets, and the debris they leave behind can cause similar allergic reactions in people. Finally, severe flea infestations can lead to your pets developing anemia and becoming weak and ill.
Why It's So Hard To Completely Get Rid Of Fleas On Your Own
Flea infestations can be tough to manage on your own. Many treatments target adult fleas but do nothing to eliminate flea eggs and flea larvae, so while it may appear for a few days or weeks that your flea treatment was successful, the infestation simply returns as soon as the immature fleas develop and begin to breed.
Additionally, new fleas will continue to arrive if you don't identify and correct the root of your infestation. Whether they are coming in on your pets, on nearby wildlife, or from a home or business you're regularly frequenting, it's important to identify these root causes and put a stop to them.
The Best Way To Get Rid Of A Flea Infestation
The best way to deal with a flea infestation is to prevent it in the first place. You can do this with the following steps:
- Keep pets treated with flea prevention year-round.
- Vacuum regularly.
- Bathe and groom pets frequently.
- Check second-hand rugs and furniture before bringing them into your home.
- Limit rodents and other wildlife animals on your property.
If, despite these efforts, fleas find their way into your Frisco home, the pest control professionals at All-Safe Pest & Termite can help. We provide fast response times to solve your pest problems and keep them from returning. Call today for a pest-free future.