Exterminator for Fleas: Do You Need One?

Are your animals digging uncontrollably? Do you have small red dots from insect bites around your ankles? Do you see small insects hopping around your furniture, socks, and floors? These are all signs of a flea infestation, and it’s not for the faint of heart. So how do you know when to call an exterminator for fleas in your home?

It’s easier than you’d think.

One of the main issues with fleas is how fast they reproduce. Many folks call our offices and say they see a few fleas and need help. The problem? There’s no such thing as just a few fleas—what’s here today will be multiplied by tomorrow.

Unlike humans, all a flea needs to reproduce is a good meal. Once she’s had her meal, she will lay anywhere from 8-20 eggs. These eggs are deposited into your carpets, couch, bedding, and even poor Fido’s bed. The issue is that you can’t see them because they’re so microscopic, but you can believe that you will feel their impact quickly. Flea eggs only need anywhere from a few days to two weeks to hatch. The warmer the climate, the quicker they will emerge.

If just one female flea can lay 20 eggs after a meal, imagine what can happen if you have 20 females in your home. That’s a potential of 400 eggs! You can see how things can quickly get out of hand if you don’t get on top of it fast and why you might need an exterminator for fleas YESTERDAY!

You see your pet scratching and go to the vet for help, leaving with a hefty dose of flea killing meds. However, that fancy medication you’re using isn’t doing a thing for the fleas already hanging out in your living room. It’s not that the medication isn’t good, but the problem may be far beyond the capabilities of the pill.

Those oral medications require the flea to bite the pet before it can die, so your pet is still getting bitten if you don’t treat your home. If there are 1,000 fleas in your house, the medication will only catch the ones that make contact with your pet.

Topical medications might repel a bit, but they also require your poor pets to be bitten before the flea is rendered sterile or poisoned. The problem is that many folks think the vet is the only place they need to go for fleas, and nothing could be further from the truth. Treating fleas requires a three-part method, and if you skip any part of this equation, it will impact your infestation.

Concerned New Jersey homeowners call us upset because they thought they had gotten rid of the fleas, but unfortunately, that hard-to-kill infestation has returned. This can happen for many reasons.

What’s likely happening is that you’re getting rid of the live insects, but you’re not killing off the eggs. The break you are getting from all the biting is likely because the eggs are waiting to hatch.

Once the eggs start hatching, the nightmare will begin again. The truth is you never really got rid of the problem; it just was calm for a while. It’s at this point that you need to seriously consider getting an exterminator for your flea problem.

Some people are sure that they can fight these pests, but the truth is there are instances when things just get out of their control. We’ve seen it too often where people have to throw furniture out and rip up carpeting. These are extreme measures that can be avoided if you call in the help of our professionals sooner.

Another scenario we often find ourselves in is when a family that doesn’t have pets and has lived in the home for a while has suddenly discovered they have a flea infestation.

A sudden infestation can have sinister origins. Many times, we’ve found that a rodent family has moved into the basement or attic, carrying these fleas into the home. Animals that are notorious for bringing fleas inside are opossums, rats, mice, raccoons, and squirrels are good hosts for fleas.

Every year, fleas start hopping around as the warmer weather moves into the Garden State. However, it’s not uncommon for people to have flea issues year-round. Aside from calling in your favorite New Jersey exterminator for fleas, here are some tips that can help your home stay flea-free.

1. Treat Your Yard in Early Spring

Though it’s already been said, it bears repeating that you should treat your yard. Do this in the spring before the prime season to ensure you don’t have an issue.

2. Keep Your Pet Medicated Year-Round

So many people think they only need to treat their pets during the warm months, but this is simply not true. Fleas can live all year inside your toasty home, so your pets always have a threat. These blood suckers can cause your pets to become anemic, trigger skin infections, and even result in hair loss. It’s worth the small price to keep them medicated.

2. Bathe and Brush Your Pet Regularly

Owning a pet is a big responsibility. You need to bathe and brush them regularly. While the flea could care less whether your dog or cat is clean, you’re more likely to rid any straggler that might have attached itself before it becomes a significant issue.

4. Vacuum Daily

This is one of the best habits to practice prior to needing a flea exterminator—active flea issues or not. We cannot stress enough how it’s essential for you to vacuum your floors daily. The rollers from your sweeper shake up the carpet fibers, which loosens the eggs trapped inside. Getting all the eggs out of the floors will keep them from hatching in your home.

Additionally, you’ll also vacuum up some live fleas. The trick is to remember that you need to empty the bag outside into a garbage bag immediately. Due to their minuscule size, fleas can make their way out of the vacuum and back into the home if allowed to sit.

5. Limit the Time Your Pets Are Outdoors

Another major issue contributing to your flea infestation is allowing the animal to go outside too much. Max wants to be out and about when the sun is shining, but the longer he is out there, the more apt he is to bring in fleas, ticks, and other harmful-to-him bugs.

Even if they take a monthly treatment medication, it’s not a bad idea to give them a fast-acting pill like Capstar (check with your vet first) when they’ve been outside for an extended period. This will ensure that anything they’ve picked up will be killed immediately.

Scientists have found more than 2,000 types of fleas, but in the Garden State, you’ll likely deal with just a few of them. Here are the most common fleas we encounter:

Cat Flea

Officially called Ctenocephalides Felis, the cat flea is found chiefly on dogs. They’re known for carrying plague bacteria.

Oriental Rat Flea

The scientific name of the rat flea is the Xenopsylla cheopis. These are the fleas responsible for the Bubonic Plague.

Ground Squirrel Flea

The Oropsylla Montana is often associated with squirrels, so if you have squirrels that move into the attic, then it’s possible you might have to fight these fleas.

Dog Flea

The Ctenocephalides canis flea can spread tapeworms to your pet. Though their name suggests that they infest dogs, they’re not as big of a problem in this state as the cat flea.

It should be noted that sand fleas are not actually fleas at all. These are different insects that live in the sand. If you live near the coast and have significant amounts of sand on your property, then you might experience these pests. The treatment methods that kill traditional fleas don’t always work with sand fleas.

Fleas can be an absolute nightmare to manage and you will most likely need a Kapture flea exterminator brought in to help. We can get rid of them and keep them at bay by using the right pesticides and educating you on the best ways to supplement our methods. Don’t let your animals or people in your home suffer; call us for quick help.

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