Learn about what the signs of a flea infestation are to help rid your home of its presence and how to avoid such an occurrence for good…
Fleas are bloodsucking troublemakers that can live and breed in your home with no stop to their multiplying unless acted upon immediately. Fleas enter homes by clinging onto our clothing or pets in an attempt to find a place to constantly have a host as their source for food. In this case clearly, it is blood – pets and humans alike will suffer from itchy, red bumps that randomly appear with no sign of the culprit, being miniature in size. There are ways to spot these insects in your home through simple investigative methods. It is important to have a home checked for flea infestation signs to get rid of them before they can further multiply.
Signs of Flea Infestation
You’ll know that your home is raided with these insects, by doing a little searching about and observing on your part.
✔ Pets can also bring fleas to a home, so it is important that you have your pet dog / cat looked over. Examine body areas where your pet will find it hard to reach and itch at, like behind the ears or higher portions of the hind and front legs. Look for bloody specks on your pet’s skin, since these are flea droppings left behind by the insect. Excessive itching should be looked over by a veterinarian.
✔ To know for sure that your dog / cat’s fur may not have fleas holding on for their life, give it a bath and watch the flowing water for brownish red insects. Thoroughly scrub through the fur and skin, and see if anything drops off in the water. If you do notice that the fleas are slowly sliding off the dog’s fur / skin, you’d need to immediately visit a vet in that case.
✔ Ever noticed any unexplained red bumps that itch when you wake up any morning or while sitting on the couch? These could be bites made by a flea since these can be embedded within your bed sheets and couch cushions. They can even hide within the folds of your clothes or cling onto your socks while you make your way in and out of the house. Check your bed for flea droppings like under the mattress, the sides of the bed especially around the headboard area and along the insides of your sheet covers.
✔ Flea droppings are easy to spot on surfaces so use a wet cloth to wipe tabletops and the floor to check for these. If you have a carpet, slip on a pair of white socks and walk around so that you can later check them out for hitchhiking fleas.
✔ If you don’t have a pet don’t assume that fleas can only enter a home through them. It can be present in your home due to any circumstance since these can latch onto you whenever and wherever while outside your home.
How to Take Care of a Flea Infestation
Getting rid of fleas is an easy task and most often than not, people tend to experience a repetitive situation when it comes to fleas, especially if subjected to such a scenario in the past. The idea here is to have a thorough clean up job done using whatever resources you can to get rid of the insects, and then go by preventive measures to avoid future recurrences.
☠ Flea bombs have been known to be quite effective in homes, where everything is banished from adult fleas to their eggs. It is important to safe proof a home by covering kitchen tabletops and food storage areas with a layer of protective sheet. No one is to stay at home when this is done since flea bombs are highly toxic. Gas ranges should be turned off securely since flea bombs are flammable as well. It takes about 8 hours for it to do its job, and those who live there need to do a good clean up job later on, since residue will be lying around on the surfaces. It is a safe move to do a good cleanup job pronto for the sake of the family and pets. Any chemicals involved in the cleanup are highly dangerous for both pets and humans. Get a trusted exterminator to look over the problem and don’t attempt anything on your own. Get backyards and lawns treated as well with a good termination job done to rid it from any hiding fleas.
There are preventive ways on how to rid your home from present and future infestations, like bathing your pets in herbal mixtures and medicinal concoctions. You can also practice methods of using a citrus repellent instead of a chemical based one. If you have carpets in your home make sure you vacuum them frequently and empty out the contents of the attached bag while dusting that out as well in case fleas and eggs are hooked to this as well. Use a hand-held vacuum cleaner for crevices and tight spots like in between sofa cushions, around beds, cupboards and dresser drawers. It is important to treat these problems immediately, since along with them, fleas carry diseases that can transfer to human / pets through their bites.