Fleas are a common problem in homes, especially those with pets. You may discover a problem with fleas even if you do not have pets, if previous owners of your property kept cats or dogs.
Fleas may also be carried on other, especially hairy, animals like rabbits, foxes, rats, mice and livestock such as pigs.
As parasites, the greatest concern about the presence of fleas in your home or business comes from their bites. Although flea bites are not painful, they can result in an uncomfortable itch or rash. Your pets could also develop allergies to flea saliva.
Getting rid of fleas is a difficult process due to the long lifecycle of a flea. Moderate to severe infestations will take months to control and require a four-step process for complete elimination:
- Sanitation. Thoroughly clean areas where fleas frequently breed. This includes washing bedding, rugs, and pet bedding, and thoroughly vacuuming and sweeping floors and carpeted areas and along the edges of walls.
- Pet treatment. Every pet in the home must be treated. Thoroughly bathe pets with soap and water, then comb them with a flea comb. Pay careful attention to face and neck regions, and the area in front of the tail. Soap will act as a gentle insecticide to kill adult fleas. Talk to your veterinarian about choosing the right flea control product for your pet.
- Home treatment. Begin home treatment at the same time as pet treatment. This keeps all treatment on the same timeline and helps disrupt the flea life cycle. A licensed commercial pest control applicator can help you determine which products are best for inside your home and in the yard. In general, focus outdoor treatment on shady areas and places where pets spend the most amount of time.
- Follow-up. Fleas have a complex life cycle. At some stages of their life cycle they are resistant to insecticides and other flea control products. In order to get rid of fleas in all stages of the life cycle, two or more follow-up treatments within 5-10 days after the first application are needed. Additionally, vacuuming and sanitation practices should be ongoing throughout this period to pick up all remaining eggs and juvenile fleas.
Products for treating dogs and cats are available in the form of oral medications and topical “spot-on” solutions, as well as sprays, collars, and shampoos. Be sure to read the product label to ensure you are purchasing the correct formulation and dosage for your pet.
Some flea products should not be used on cats, while others are not approved for puppies and kittens. Some flea treatments also control ticks and internal parasites such as heartworms.
It is usually prudent to consult a veterinarian for the most appropriate treatment for your pet. Veterinarians also tend to know which products are performing well in their particular locale. Products that worked well in the past may be less effective due to flea populations developing resistance to the insecticide—similar to how bacteria become resistant to some antibiotics. Never treat pets with the same products used to treat carpeting or the yard.
effective flea medications
The most effective flea medications today tend to be in the form of oral/chewable tablets or topically applied liquids known as spot-ons. Different dosages are available based on the weight of the animal.
Topical Solutions (Spot-ons) –This form of treatment involves applying a few drops of material along the pets’ back or between the shoulder blades. Popular spot-on products approved for use on both dogs and cats include Frontline®/Frontline Plus, Advantage® II, Revolution®, and Vectra®. Applied monthly, each controls adult fleas as well as flea eggs.
Oral/Chewable Tablets –Other popular and effective flea medications are administered orally, usually as a chewable tablet. The products work systemically, killing fleas, and in some cases ticks, within hours of ingestion.
Examples include Comfortis® and Trifexis® given monthly, and the highly effective group of products known as isoxazolines ― Simparica™ and NexGard® administered monthly and Bravecto® every 3 months. Chewable forms of Bravecto, NexGard and Simparica are labeled for dogs only. Bravecto® also is sold as a topical solution for both dogs and cats.
The reason these products are so effective is that they kill adult fleas quickly, within 24 hours of jumping on the animal. Moreover, the high level of potency is retained until the next dose is administered.
As a result, adult fleas are no longer able to reproduce and deposit eggs into the home environment. Because the products kill biting fleas quickly, pets are less likely to experience itching, irritation, and flea allergy dermatitis.
Provided all pets remain treated, the infestation will be driven to extinction as developing fleas in the home environment emerge, jump on pets, and are killed. With severe infestations, eradication may take several weeks but can be accelerated by concurrent treatment of the premises (see “Treatment of Premises” below).
Preventing Future Infestations – Pets are at continual risk of picking up new fleas at the kennel, pet groomer, or while moving through yards and neighborhoods. Opossums, raccoons and other wildlife may “seed” fleas into these outdoor environments as well.
The best way to avoid future household infestations is to maintain pets on a preventive treatment regimen of products like those mentioned above.
Whether the interval is seasonal (e.g., summer and fall), or year round would depend on locale. Consequently, any stray fleas pets happen to pick up are killed before laying eggs and infestations never become established.
Treatment of Premises for fleas
To hasten elimination of fleas within the home, it may be desirable to treat the premises along with the pet. This is especially true with severe infestations when pets and people are suffering irritation from bites.
Before such treatment, the pet owner should:
- Remove all toys, clothing, and stored items from floors, under beds, and in closets. This step is essential so that all areas will be accessible for treatment.
- Remove pet food and water dishes, cover any fish tanks, and disconnect their aerators.
- Wash pet bedding.
- VACUUM. Vacuuming removes many of the eggs, larvae and pupae developing within the home. Vacuuming also stimulates fleas to emerge sooner from their insecticide-resistant cocoons, thus hastening their exposure to treatments. By raising the carpet nap, vacuuming improves the insecticide’s penetration down to the base of the carpet fibers where developing fleas live.
Vacuum thoroughly, especially areas where pets rest or sleep. Don’t forget to vacuum along edges of rooms and beneath furniture, cushions, beds, and throw rugs. After vacuuming, seal the vacuum bag in a garbage bag and discard it in an outdoor trash container.
Insecticide Application –Always read and follow instructions on the container. Many different products are available for home flea treatment. The most effective ones contain ingredients such as permethrin, imidacloprid, or dinotefuran that are lethal to the biting adult stage, and an “insect growth regulator” (e.g., methoprene, pyriproxyfen) that halts development of flea eggs and larvae.
Householders will need to consult the “active ingredients” panel on the product label to determine if these are present. Popular consumer brands containing such ingredients include Raid Flea Killer Plus® and Ortho® Home Defense.
Professional versions sold online include Precor 2000® Plus Premise Spray, PT Alpine® Flea Insecticide, PT Ultracide® Flea Insecticide, and Nyguard® Plus Flea and Tick Premise Spray. Most householders will find aerosols more convenient to use than liquids. Carpets and other surfaces treated with aerosols also tend to dry more quickly.
Application should be thorough and include all likely areas of flea development. Carpets, throw rugs, under and behind beds and furniture, and beneath sofa cushions on which pets sleep should all be treated.
Pay particular attention to where pets spend much of their time since this is where most of the eggs, larvae and pupae will be concentrated. For example, if the family cat sleeps on a chair or hides under a bed, these areas should be treated as well. Hardwood, tile and concrete floors generally do not need to be treated, but should be vacuumed.
People and pets should remain off treated surfaces until the spray has dried. This may take a few hours depending on carpet type, ventilation, and method of application (aerosols tending to dry faster than liquids).
Even after treatment, expect to see some fleas for a few weeks or longer. These are often newly emerged adults, which have not yet succumbed to the insecticide. Instead of retreating immediately, continue to vacuum. As mentioned earlier, vacuuming stimulates insecticide-resistant flea pupae/cocoons to hatch, bringing emerging adults into contact with the treatment sooner.
If adult fleas continue to be seen beyond 4 weeks, retreatment of the premises and/or pets may be necessary. Homeowners not wanting to treat premises themselves can enlist the services of a professional pest control firm.
A form of treatment NOT recommended for fleas involves using total-release insect foggers, sometimes referred to as “bug bombs”. While insecticide foggers require little effort to use, they are seldom effective against fleas or other household pests. This is partly because the ingredients are released upwards into the air and often do not reach into hidden areas of flea development.
Besides their lack of effectiveness, the ingredients in total-release insect foggers may be flammable when dispensed near open flame. (For more on these non-recommended products, see University of Kentucky Entomology Entfact-643, Limitations of Home Insect Foggers.)
Research has shown that fleas respond to green light more than other wavelengths. The device, myFleaTrap®, can be purchased online.
Most flea problems can be eliminated by treating the pet and if needed the interior of the home. If pets spend most of their time outdoors, it may also be useful to treat the yard. One way to assess if the yard (or other areas) is flea-infested is to walk the property wearing white athletic socks, pulled high on the leg. If adult fleas are present, they will be seen against the white background of the socks.
Similar to indoor treatments, outdoor treatments should focus on areas where pets rest, sleep, and run, e.g., doghouse and kennel areas, along fences, under decks, and next to the foundation. It is seldom necessary to treat the entire yard, or areas exposed to full sun since these areas are less preferred for flea development.
Insecticide formulations containing an insect growth-regulating ingredient such as pyriproxyfen (Archer® Insect Growth Regulator, NyGuard® IGR Concentrate) prevent hatching/development of flea eggs and larvae for several months.
Diluted in water, the insecticides can be applied with a hose-end or pump-up sprayer. Such treatments can also help prevent/suppress fleas in commercial kennels and animal shelters.
As mentioned earlier, animals other than pets can harbor fleas. When fleas are infesting a home and no pets are present, raccoons, opossums, skunks or squirrels often are the culprit.
A family of raccoons or opossums in the attic or chimney, or a skunk or feral cat living beneath a home can be a cryptic source of fleas entering the living spaces. In such cases, the feral animals should be removed by a nuisance wildlife or pest control professional and the home treated in the manner above.
