Professional flea control 

 
Any pest owner will confirm this; fleas can be a real nuisance when you have pets that carry home fleas with them, from spring right through to the autumn we are asked to help homeowners get rid of fleas across Reading, Wokingham and Woodley. 

Flea control from local experts based in Woodley 

Fleas are adapted for survival; female fleas lay their eggs on a host animal be it cat or dog which will over time fall off the animal as they don’t have a sticky surface like many insect eggs. The eggs usually fall off where your pet sleeps; so pet beds, sofas, carpets, and human beds can all contain flea eggs. The flea will lay around 50 eggs a day on your pet and during her lifespan she will produce around 2000 eggs. 
The eggs hatch within a week and the larvae feed on organic matter like discarded skin cells contained within its environment and within a period of a couple of weeks the larvae will pupate into a bloodsucking flea, this cycle can continue through the cooler winter months due to central heating but often the time taken by the larvae to transform into a adult flea takes much longer than in the summer months. 

Effective, professional flea treatments  

How do we know if we have a flea infestation? 
Fleas can move around through the thickest of animal pelts with ease, their ability to jump is amazing; a flea is able to jump over 150 times its own body length. 

Signs of a flea infestation: 

You can tell that your animal has fleas by the animal scratching particularly when the animal focuses on its rear end and base of the tail. 
You may notice tiny black particles that can be brushed off the animal’s skin, if these turn red when dropped onto a wet piece of kitchen towel, these are flea faeces. Tapeworms can also be transmitted from flea bites so its advisable to keep a flea treatment program on pets. 
Look for red raised bumps on the animal’s skin where the itchy bit is, some animals react worse or better than others so these will vary in size. 
 
More information on the flea and tick lifecycle: 
You can make a home-made flea trap out of an angle poise lamp or other directional lamp to; use the lamp to light a small area of carpet. Place a bowl of water in the lit area which has some washing up liquid mixed in to break the surface tension and the fleas will be attracted to the light overnight, jumping into the water, but remember to keep your pet from drinking the water. 
 

What do flea bites look like on humans? 

Its possible to not have any pets but still suffer from flea bites, when moving into a new property we find owners and tenants can pick up the previous occupant’s flea infestation. Flea bites on us tend to appear in clumps of three or four and often around the ankles and lower legs as the fleas will be living in the carpets. Fleas, like all insects can shut down when there is nothing to eat, properties can be left empty for months and the adult fleas will survive as they go into a dormant mode, as soon as they detect vibration they awaken and start feeding. 
Everyone reacts differently to the bites with various degrees of swelling which lasts from between several hours to a couple of days. In severe cases an allergic reaction can lead to dizziness, difficulty in breathing and swelling of the affected body parts, seek advice from your Doctor if this occurs to you. 

What’s the difference between flea bites and bed bug bites as I’m getting bitten at night? 

Because our pets may share the bed or just creep onto it when you’re backs turned, its possible that you have fleas living around the bedding, flea bites can easily be confused with bed bug bites. Bed bugs will crawl across the sheets and over your night clothes and feed as soon as they make contact with skin, so always look for lines of bites rather than clumps. These bites will often occur on the upper body and neck area, bed bugs will also defecate as they eat so look for blood spots on the sheets and pillowcases, there is a smell associated with bed bugs; a distinctive musty, damp towel like smell. 
Questions on fleas? Click here for the answers. 

Total flea control in Reading, Wokingham and Woodley 

Given the different lifecycles of the flea we always suggest some essential pre-treatment for total control of fleas. Prior to a chemical treatment – 
 
Remove all small items lying around to make the treatment more effective 
 
Thoroughly vacuum the area to be treated, making sure that the machine is EMPTIED immediately outside of the house as fleas will be inside 
 
We recommend that the house is vacated (this includes all pets too!) for at least four hours following the flea treatment and we also recommend that you put off vacuuming, mopping and brushing floors for at least 14 days as we will have left a thin film of residual insecticide over the surfaces. 
We look at effective flea control as a three-step program – 
 
Step 1  
The animal is treated with a flea program prior to the treatment. 
 
Step 2  
The animals bedding and yours, if the pet sleeps on the bed, is washed at a high temperature and preferably tumble dried as well to kill off any eggs or larvae that are hidden in the fibres. 
 
Step 3  
Chemical control through the application of insecticides from our technician, these can be in the form of water based sprays and kerosene based fogging compounds, occasionally a second follow treatment may be required. 
Flea infestation in a house in Woodley 
 
"I called Tony at All Aspects Pest Control on a Sunday morning because I suspected a flea problem in my house. 8am Monday morning the very next day, Tony arrived and took care of everything inside of an hour and half. I could not fault his service, personability and professionalism. I felt entirely at ease knowing Tony took care of this pest problem for me and the speed at which he dealt with my matter was astounding. I could not recommend a pest control company more highly - my high expectations were exceeded. Thanks Tony - I'm resting a lot easier at night"! 
Our site uses cookies. For more information, see our cookie policy. Accept cookies and close
Reject cookies Manage settings