FLEA EXTERMINATOR SERVICES

LOVE YOUR PETS, NOT THEIR PESTS.

Flea Removal Services

Fleas are parasites that feed on the blood of any warm-blooded body. Although numerous animals, both wild and domestic, can have flea infestations, most homes only inherit flea infestation problems from contact with domestic dogs and cats.

Typically, fleas can be controlled with a combination of good sanitation and prevention by cleaning and vacuuming frequently and keeping the lawn groomed to avoid rodent habitation. If you own a pet ensure you take active flea prevention measures by keeping dogs on a leash when outside, bath and groom regularly, visit a veterinarian once a year and using flea prevention treatments.

Characteristics of Fleas

Round, brown, 2.5mm long, with six legs and capable of jumping distances more than 60 times their size, fleas are a tiny menace once inside your home.  They enter in the stealthiest way possible—on the back, neck, and hindquarters your beloved pets.

But Prodigy Solutions in Philadelphia has more than 35 years of professional experience to bring you the relief you seek when fleas hitch a ride into your home.

Not since the 1300s have fleas struck fear in the hearts of people. Bubonic Plague, also known as Black Death, was a flea-transmitted infectious disease that took the lives of up to 200 million people spanning from Asia to Europe. It is considered one of the largest pandemics in history. It was utter havoc wrought by flea-infected animals.

Now fleas have been reduced to a nipping nuisance. With quality pesticides and the expert pest management and skills of Prodigy Solutions, flea infestations won’t ever turn your property into an uncontrollable plague-like situation.

Flea Facts

There are more than 2,000 species of fleas around the world, but cat and dog fleas are the most common headache for pet and property owners.  In the United States the cat flea is the predominant flea infestation.

  1. Fleas can live from 2-3 months and they lay approximately 20-30 eggs per day. Some research has estimated that’s about 1 egg per hour. All this means flea egg production is a recipe for a severe infestation.
  2. Fleas feed off of mammals. Fleas like animals that are hairy, including mice, cats, dogs, rats, and squirrels, but they will also feed on humans. When their four-legged host is no longer available, they will jump on the nearest warm-blooded opportunity.
  3. Flea eggs are not just on your pets. Though flea eggs are typically on the host, they commonly fall off and land anywhere the host traveled. Think of all the places where your pets have access and flea eggs are probably there. Carpet, clothing, bedding, upholstered furniture, and inside floorboards are just a few common areas where flea eggs are found.

 

Health and Hazards of Fleas

Fleas prefer animals to people. But in the absence of animals, they are opportunistic, which means they like humans just fine.

Fleabites are extremely itchy and can cause inflammation of the skin. The bites are uncomfortable like those of mosquito or bed bug bites but rarely develop into more serious illness. However, for people with sensitive skin, fleabites can cause an allergic reaction called Flea Allergy Dermatitis, which causes painful blisters or lesions on the skin.

As previously stated, Bubonic Plague is the most notorious disease fleas can transmit. But since that long ago time, the plague, according to the Center for Disease Control has been limited in the United States to just a few regions; northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado, California, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada. Luckily, since 1970, there has never been a reported case on the East Coast.

But how do you know you have fleas? There are some common symptoms that all flea infestations have.

Signs of Flea Infestation:

  1. Look at your beloved pets. Your cat or dog suffering from fleas is the first indication of a flea infestation on your property. The head and neck of your cat are particularly vulnerable as well as the hindquarters of dogs. You can see live fleas moving around at the follicle of the animal’s hair. But because fleas bodies are designed to stick to their host’s hair, you will find it impossible to remove them without a flea comb.

 

  1. Biting and Itching. Pets and people scratch incessantly from fleabites. Cats scratch excessively around their ears and necks and dogs will even bite themselves from severe infestation. Your pets will probably experience hair loss in the areas where they are scratching. If you are bitten, your skin may initially form welts from the fleabites. Initial bites are typically in clusters around the feet, legs, and ankles. It should be noted that flea and bed bugs are commonly mistaken for each other. However, fleas will bite during any time of the day and bed bugs are nocturnal.

 

  1. Fecal Matter. If you see black spots in the bed of your pet, it may be dropping from fleas. You will also see these same dropping near the follicles of your pet’s hair.

 

  1. The White Sock Test. If you’re still not sure you have a flea infestation, try putting on a clean pair of white socks and walk slowly on your floors. Fleas are attracted to warmth and you will probably see them jump on your feet and ankles to hitch a ride and use you as a food source.

Flea Control and Management

Much like bed bugs, flea infestations are extremely difficult to eliminate without professional attention and planning. These are key methods that every flea infected household should employ.

  1. Use veterinarian approved flea control products on your pets. Use them all year long. Keep in mind fleas can survive Philadelphia winters when their hosts live in warm properties! Quality flea control products will kill not only adults but also eggs and larvae. The product should keep your pet flea-free for 6-12 weeks at a time.
  2. Clean and vacuum regularly, especially areas where your pets sleep and spend most of their time. Immediately discard the contents. Do not keep the vacuumed-rubbish indoors as hatched fleas may well escape. In severe infestations, you will probably need to steam clean upholstery as well as vacuum at least every 3 days to eliminate eggs and adolescents.
  3. Regularly clean the bedding of your pets. Make sure the wash water and dryer temperatures are at high heat. In severe infestations, your pet’s bedding should be discarded.
  4. Call in the professionals. Home remedies reduce infestations, but expert care eradicates flea infestations.

Prodigy Solutions is the leading pest control service in Philadelphia. No other service has our deep experience or high customer approval ratings.

 

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Did You Know?

  • There are about 2,000 species of fleas.
  • The most common species is the cat flea, which often feasts on cats, dogs and humans.
  • Fleas can jump as high as 8″ vertically, which is 150 times their own height.
  • Some fleas carry murine typhus and bubonic plague.
  • Fleas can also serve as intermediate hosts for some species of dog and rodent tapeworms that occasionally can infest people.
  • It is important to simultaneously treat all pets and their environments (indoor and outdoor).

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