Fleas are pesky little critters that can wreak havoc on your furry family members as well as your home and yard. Only adult fleas are found on pets, with the younger stages living in these environments.
Heat. Movement. Light. Fleas are specifically attracted to green and yellow light, and they use shadows to determine where to jump to find their next meal. Carbon dioxide.
Signs of Fleas in Your Yard and Home
Signs There Are Fleas In Your Yard: It’s unlikely that you will see fleas in your yard, since they are so small and tend to hide under leaves and brush. Itchy pets and people. Fleas in your home or on your pet. Flea dirt. Flea dirt, or flea feces, is left behind after a flea takes a blood meal. Itchy red bumps, scabs, or hair loss. When a dog scratches due to a flea infestation, they compromise their skin barrier and normal bacteria. Bizarre pet behavior. Wildlife activity. The presence of other pests. The white sock test. You can perform this test by walking in your yard wearing a pair of white socks and no shoes.
Alternative yard treatments may not be as effective as traditional insecticides but can be helpful to some. Cedar chips. Spreading cedar chips over the yard is said to repel fleas, since they don’t like the smell. Nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic roundworms you can add to your yard to get rid of fleas naturally. Water. Essential oils.
What Are the Best Flea Treatments for Your Yard?
Flea sprays are most effective for treating your yard. These products use insecticides and insect growth regulators (IGRs) to kill fleas. It is usually recommended to treat your yard weekly for four weeks and then once a month to kill the larval stages as they hatch, since the insecticide won’t kill the eggs. Flea traps can be used on yard furniture or in smaller areas where the spray might not penetrate.
On-Pet Treatments and Life Cycle
To control fleas successfully, you need to control them in all areas where they occur: on the pet, in the house, and in the yard. Not allowing pets inside the house is the surest way to avoid having fleas inside the house, but not all pet owners favor this method. Whether or not pets are allowed inside, the first step in flea control is to treat the pet(s) with an effective and appropriate on-pet treatment. Fortunately, there are several highly effective treatments that can be applied to pets for preventive flea control. Good, on-pet flea prevention, combined with frequent cleaning of pet bedding areas, can keep fleas from becoming established in the house or yard.
Fleas can cause great discomfort to our pets and leave us with small itchy bites, often on our legs. Their bites can cause allergic reactions and scratching can lead to infection. Vacuum carpet, rugs, and furniture thoroughly and frequently - pay special attention to areas where pets rest and sleep. Comb pets with a flea comb. Consider using hand-spray flea control products that contain an insect growth regulator. These products are sprayed on carpets or other areas where fleas have been found and will prevent flea larvae from becoming adults.
Fleas are annoying to people and pets, especially during spring and early summer when their numbers tend to increase dramatically. The common flea in California is the cat flea. Despite its name, this flea attacks both dogs and cats and will also bite humans, potentially spreading flea-borne diseases. Several very effective and safe products for flea control on the pet are available. Spot-on formulations are applied to the animal's coat. Use as directed on the label. Systemic flea control products, available from vets, are given as a pill or food treat. Flea collars containing permethrin and tetrachlorvinphos are effective against fleas and ticks. Collars with methoprene or pyriproxyfen (insect growth regulators; IGRs) affect eggs and immature fleas. Outdoor treatments are occasionally needed. If your pet regularly sleeps outside and flea numbers are high, these areas can be treated with a spray containing pyriproxyfen.
If possible, open sleeping areas to sunlight by removing low hanging vegetation. Immature fleas are unlikely to survive in areas with exposure to sunlight. Some wild animals can lead to outdoor flea problems as well, including feral cats, opossums, squirrels, and coyotes, so limit food, water, and shelter for these animals on your property. To prevent flea populations from building up, regularly vacuum and launder areas where your pet rests. Use a hand sprayer or aerosol to treat infested areas of carpets and unwashable upholstered furniture with an insecticide that contains an IGR. Vacuum regularly to remove adult fleas that emerge from pupae for the next 2 weeks.
Pet Treatments: What Works Today
Cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis, are the most common ectoparasite on domestic cats and dogs (Figure 1). Dog fleas, C. canis, look like cat fleas but are rare in California. Sticktight fleas, Echidnophaga gallinacea, are commonly found on ground squirrels and poultry; the females firmly attach themselves along the ears and eyes of their host (Figure 2). The ground squirrel flea, Oropsylla montana, is found on ground squirrels and is the vector of sylvatic plague in California. However, fleas on cats or dogs in California most likely are cat fleas. Adult cat flea. Adult fleas are no larger than 1/8 inch long, so it is difficult to see a number of the characteristics used to describe them. These reddish-brown, wingless insects are laterally compressed, so they look as if they are walking on edge. Cat fleas have both pronotal and genal combs. They have piercing-sucking mouthparts through which they obtain blood meals from their hosts. Unlike most fleas, adult cat fleas remain on the host where feeding, mating, and egg laying occur. Females lay about 20 to 50 eggs per day. Cat flea eggs are pearly white, oval, and about 1/32 inch long (Figure 3). The eggs are smooth and readily fall from the pet and land on surfaces such as bedding and carpeting in the animal’s environment. They hatch in about 2 to 5 days. Cat flea eggs. Flea larvae are no larger than 3/16 inch long, hairy, and wormlike with a distinct, brownish head but no eyes or legs (Figure 4). The larvae feed on dried blood and excrement adult fleas produce while feeding on the pet. Larval development is restricted to protected places where there is at least 75% relative humidity. The larvae feed and crawl around for 8 to 15 days before building small, silken cocoons in which they pupate and develop into adults. Flea larvae develop more quickly at higher temperatures, preferring areas that are 70° to 90°F. At cool temperatures, fully formed fleas can remain in their cocoons for up to 12 months. Warm temperatures and mechanical pressure caused by walking on or vacuuming carpet stimulate emergence from the cocoon. An adult cat flea generally lives about 30 to 40 days on the host. When normal grooming activity is restricted, 85% of adult females survived for 50 days. You can find fleas on pets throughout the year, but numbers tend to increase dramatically during spring and early summer when conditions favor larval development.
Life stages of the flea. Credit: David Kidd. Recent advances in molecular research indicate cat fleas are capable of transmitting a murinelike typhus disease in humans, cat flea rickettsiosis. The symptoms are similar to murine typhus but less severe, including headaches, chills, fever, vomiting, and rash. This rickettsial agent is widely found in cats and cat fleas worldwide. It is likely that many previously diagnosed cases of murine typhus actually might have been cat flea rickettsiosis. Fleabites consist of a small, central, red spot surrounded by a red halo, usually without excessive swelling. They usually cause minor itching but can become increasingly irritating to people with sensitive or reactive skin. Some people and pets suffer from fleabite allergic dermatitis, characterized by intense itching, hair loss, reddening of the skin, and secondary infection.
Cat fleas serve as intermediary hosts of dog and cat tapeworms. Cats or dogs can acquire this intestinal parasite while grooming themselves if they ingest adult fleas that contain a cyst of the tapeworm. Children occasionally can acquire these tapeworms too. New, safer, and more effective products aimed at controlling adult fleas on pets have made cat flea management without pesticide sprays, shampoos, and dusts feasible in most situations. Management of fleas on pets must occur in conjunction with regular, thorough cleaning of pet resting areas indoors and out.
On-Pet Products and Preventive Options
Several types of products are available to control fleas on dogs and cats. The newer products are either applied topically to the body of the pet or provided orally (Table 1). Products containing fipronil, permethrin, or amitraz also are designed to control ticks. If you administer oral or topical products early in the year before flea populations begin to build, the products can prevent fleas from establishing themselves in your home. Contact your veterinarian for advice in selecting the best flea-control product for your situation. Table 1. On-pet Flea Treatment Products.
New product innovations have made it possible to effectively, conveniently, and safely prevent flea populations from building up on pets. These products are more effective than the traditional insecticide collars, dusts, shampoos, and sprays. A few drops of the spot-on formula applied to the animal’s shoulder blades move through the animal’s coat or are absorbed into the animal’s skin, providing whole-body treatment. These materials kill adult fleas within hours of the flea jumping on the animal. Also, these compounds have lower toxicity to mammals than traditionally used flea-control products containing carbamates such as carbaryl and organophosphates such as chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and tetrachlorvinphos, making them safer to use on pets. Generally spot-on formulations can withstand bathing; check the label for specific instructions.
With increased EPA concerns about adverse effects reported with the use of topical flea control products, it should emphasized that not all products are safe for all animals. Products containing permethrin and amitraz never should be applied to cats. Systemic Oral Treatments. Three flea-control products are internal medications administered as a pill or chewable food. The insect development inhibitor lufenuron (Program) can be given as a pill to dogs or as a food additive for cats once a month to suppress flea populations. It also can be administered as an injection every 6 months. While this compound doesn’t kill adult fleas, it does prevent flea reproduction. Administration of nitenpyram (Capstar) provides rapid knockdown of the fleas on the host within 30 minutes. The effects last about 48 hours. A newer product for dogs containing spinosad (Comfortis) also is fast acting, providing protection for 60 days. These oral treatments are especially appropriate for animals that swim or take frequent baths.
Flea Collars. Flea collars typically contain the IGRs methoprene and pyriproxyfen and insecticides such as permethrin and tetrachlorvinphos. The collar releases the IGR, which then distributes itself throughout the pet’s coat affecting eggs and female adult fleas. Very little information has been published concerning the efficacy of collars. Traditional Insecticide Products. Until recently, pet owners had to rely on products containing conventional insecticides (pyrethrins, permethrin, d-limonene, chlorpyrpos, diazinon, carbaryl, and naled) to control fleas on their pets. These products were formulated as soaps, shampoos, powders, dusts, spray-on liquids, and dips. Although many of these products still are available, they aren’t as effective to use as the on-animal treatments above. Some products aren’t labeled for cats. Be sure to read all labels carefully. Nonchemical Treatments. Special metal flea combs are available that help effectively remove adult fleas from the coat of pets.
Indoors. Controlling cat fleas in buildings requires a variety of approaches. Before starting a control program, look through each room to determine areas where larval development occurs. Flea populations are highest in places where dogs or cats regularly sleep. Sanitation. Thoroughly and regularly clean areas where you find adult fleas, flea larvae, and flea eggs. Vacuum floors, rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and crevices around baseboards and cabinets daily or every other day to remove flea eggs, larvae, and adults. Launder pet bedding in hot, soapy water at least once a week. Insecticides. Several insecticides are registered for controlling fleas indoors. The most effective products also contain the IGR methoprene or pyriproxyfen. Use a hand sprayer or aerosol to apply insecticides directly to infested areas of carpets and furniture. Total release aerosols, or room foggers, don’t provide the coverage and long-term effectiveness of direct sprays unless they contain methoprene or pyriproxyfen. Spray carpets, pet sleeping areas, carpeted areas beneath furniture, baseboards, windowsills, and other areas harboring adults or larvae. Fleas will continue to emerge for about 2 weeks after treatment, because the spray doesn’t kill pupae. Continue to vacuum, and don’t treat again for at least several weeks. Indoors helpfully complements outdoor efforts, including regular vacuuming and washing of pet resting areas.
Outdoors. In California, outdoor flea populations are most prevalent in coastal localities and other places with moderate daytime temperatures and fairly high humidity levels. In Central Valley locations, populations can become very numerous in shaded and protected areas such as sheltered animal enclosures, crawl spaces under buildings where feral animals might sleep, and vegetated areas adjacent to buildings. Infested outdoor locations left untreated can lead to fleas reinfesting your pets. Outdoor sprays aren’t necessary unless you detect significant numbers of adult fleas. One way to do this is to walk around pet resting areas wearing white socks pulled up to the knee. Apply sprays directly in locations where pets rest and sleep such as doghouse and kennel areas, beneath decks, and next to the foundation. It is seldom necessary to treat the entire yard or lawn areas. Flea larvae are unlikely to survive in areas with exposure to sunlight or substantial foot traffic.
Wash throw rugs and the pet’s bedding. Vacuum upholstered furniture. Vacuum carpets, especially beneath furniture and in areas that pest frequent. Continue to vacuum for 10 days to 2 weeks to kill adult fleas that continue to emerge from pupal cocoons. If you treat your pets with spot-on or oral treatments, you’ll rarely need to spray outdoors. Do not confuse with foggers; they are not effective for fleas and may be unsafe.
Prevention and Monitoring
Outdoor prevention often involves lawn and yard management: mow regularly to expose soil to sunlight, trim shrubs to reduce shaded cool areas, and manage debris where fleas hide. Beneficial nematodes and diatomaceous earth can be used as natural measures. Cedar mulch can deter fleas, and certain plants such as lavender, rosemary, and mint may help repel them. Wildlife control to reduce sources of outdoor fleas is also important, including securing trash bins and eliminating pet food left outside.
In sum, a comprehensive flea control program targets pets, indoor environments, and outdoor spaces. Regular veterinary guidance, proper product selection, and consistent treatment schedules are essential to prevent reinfestation and protect both pets and people from itching, allergic reactions, anemia, tapeworms, and other complications.
Lifecycle of a flea Video 4 Flea Eggs
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