Fleas are a summer nuisance - find out about wasp control from All Aspects Pest Control covering Wokingham, Reading and surrounds of Berkshire. 
 
If you discover fleas in the home the most likely culprit is the family cat or dog, and if that pet spends time with the family members then you will experience the uncomfortable sensation of your pets flea bites. The fleas will live throughout your home and especially where the animal spends time sleeping; beds and sofas being the usual place where an animal sleeps when the owners are out. 

How do fleas get inside our house? 

Whilst out exploring or being taken for a walk an adult flea will attach itself to your pet and begin feeding on the animals blood. Fleas mature within days of hatching and once the female flea has mated she will lay eggs for the rest of her life; rabbit fleas detect the rising level of hormones in the female rabbits blood indicating that she is about to give birth and synchronise their egg laying to ensure a fresh supply of blood for the larvae. 

How quickly do fleas breed? 

Female fleas that maybe on your cat or dog lay eggs at the rate of one per hour and they will do this for the rest of their adult life which is around three to five weeks; the eggs are smooth and drop of the host animal where the emerging larvae will burrow down into carpets or bedding. Everywhere the animal goes eggs will drop off and with your social pet that includes the sofas and beds. 

We don't have pets but our house is full of fleas, how come? 

After the larvae have fed and reached their mature size they spin a silk cocoon where it pupates into an adult flea; this takes around seven days. The adult flea will now stay within its silk cocoon waiting for a host animal; heat, vibration, carbon dioxide and pressure are all indicators of a potential host animal triggering its emergence from the cocoon where it will attach itself to a strand of hair with its claws and begin feeding. Its not uncommon for pest controllers to be called out to a home where people have just moved in; a few days will pass and then they begin to experience flea bites. Fleas can remain dormant in cool conditions from between two and four months, so even if the house was empty at the time of sale there is the possibility of fleas becoming active. 
 
Pets aren't the only avenue for fleas to gain access into your home, occasionally rats, mice and squirrels will cause an outbreak of fleas to appear within someones home and birds nesting in the loft can cause an outbreak of bird mites (a form of flea) which can be troublesome. 
Tagged as: Fleas
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