Flea Extermination and Control

Fleas are parasitic insects that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals. They are notorious public health pests and are known vectors of several serious diseases. ALLGone Services provides high-quality flea control services throughout the Dallas / Fort Worth Metropolitan area and North Texas.

Flea Biology and Public Health Significance

Fleas are parasitic insects that belong to the taxonomical order Siphonaptera, which encompasses about 2,380 species in several families, subfamilies, and genera. They are tiny insects whose bodies are narrower than they are tall and have strong legs adapted to jumping. If we could jump as well as fleas can, we would be able to leap over tall buildings in a single bound.

Fleas undergo complete metamorphosis. Female fleas lay eggs in areas frequented by suitable hosts (or sometimes on the host animals). Those eggs hatch into larvae, which feed mainly on organic debris and the feces of adult fleas. After a few weeks, the larvae spin cocoons and go into pupation, emerging when they sense the presence of suitable host animals.

Depending on the exact species, fleas may sense the presence of a host by detecting heat, carbon dioxide, pheromones, and other scents peculiar to their preferred hosts or a combination of these factors.

A flea’s pupation period can take several weeks to many months, and fully-developed adult fleas can remain alive in their cocoons without feeding for as long as a year, waiting for a suitable host. In homes only used seasonally, such as summer homes, it’s typical for pupating fleas to emerge to feed en masse as soon as people and their pets walk in the door after a long period of the house is empty.

Fleas Found in Texas and their Public Health Importance

There are many species of fleas found in Texas. Still, the three species that most commonly come to the attention of Texas pest control operators are the dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis), the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis), and the human flea (Pulex irritans).

Although named for their preferred hosts, these fleas aren’t too picky. They’ll feed upon any warm-blooded animal that’s handy — including people. Another notorious flea found in Texas is the Oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis), the primary vector of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague. Rats and their fleas have been responsible for countless deaths throughout history.

In addition to plague, fleas transmit several other severe conditions, including murine typhus and fleabite dermatitis. Fleas also are involved in the transmission of tapeworms. Most tapeworm infestations result when a person or pet ingests a flea carrying a tapeworm. In the case of humans (and especially children), this usually occurs while the person is playing with a pet that has fleas.

Even if a flea isn’t carrying tapeworms or disease-causing pathogens, flea bites can cause nasty rashes that can be severe in people who are sensitive to insect bites. These rashes can also become infected, especially if the affected person scratches the rash and breaks the skin.

Effective Flea Control

Fleas are tough to control because of their tiny size, their general hardiness, the way they feed (because they draw blood, they don’t handle their food, which means they don’t readily ingest insecticides), and the fact that they spend long periods hitch-hiking from place to place on animals. Even seasoned pest management professionals consider flea extermination to be challenging work.

Nonetheless, we usually can eliminate fleas from your home in one visit — if you do your part, as well. Effective flea control is a partnership between the pest control operator and the customer. Before your flea control appointment, please follow the following steps to help insure that the treatment will be effective. (You can download a printable version of the flea control checklist that appears below here for your convenience.)

Flea Control Checklist

Clear all floor surfaces, including any items on closet floors, under beds, and under furniture, to give the technician unobstructed access.
As closely as possible before the treatment, thoroughly vacuum your carpets, rugs, drapes, and upholstered furniture. If you were thinking about shampooing your carpets and furniture, this would be a good time to do that, too. (Just make sure to do it in time for it to be dry by the day of the flea treatment.)
Vacuum wood and tile floors with particular attention to grooves and cracks, and mop them afterward.
Vacuum and mop basement and garage floors.
Seal the vacuum cleaner bag in a plastic bag and dispose of it outside, and thoroughly rinse out any mops that you use. (Fleas can hide in them!)
Clean or dispose of your pet’s bedding on the day of the treatment.
Remove all human and animal bedding on the day of the treatment, and wash it in detergent and the hottest water the fabrics can stand.
If we will be treating outside your home, mow the lawn and clear it of toys and other items, especially in and around the doghouse or other areas your pets frequent.
Before the treatment, cover fish aquariums and turn off the air pumps.
Arrange for any pets to be treated by a vet or a pet groomer at the same time that we’ll be treating your home. Usually, you (and your pets) can re-enter the home in three to four hours.