Fleas On You, Your Pets and In Your House
Here is everything you need to know about controlling and eliminating a flea infestation.
You know what fleas are right? Those little wingless bugs that suck blood? They feed off the blood of humans and animals such as dogs and cats.
Fleas DO CARRY and TRANSFER diseases, but thankfully, not very often in the US or other developed nations. (don’t you feel better now?)
Since fleas use a wide range of hosts, diseases can be transferred from one host to another. Fleas are known to transmit tapeworm larvae and, uncommonly, the disease murine typhus. They are most notorious for transmitting bubonic plague from wild rodents to humans in certain parts of the world.
There are three main species of flea that infest humans:
Cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis)
Dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis)
Human flea (Pulex irritans).
A flea bite is extremely itchy and secondary infections caused by scratching are common. In fact, that is where most complaints arise from are the infections that develop due to overly scratching and opening the wound further.
Symptoms of a flea bite
The bite of a flea has certain features:
* It is extremely itchy.
* A red, swollen spot or welt develops within 30 minutes of the bite.
* After a day or so, the welt may develop into a blister or small open wound.
* The legs and feet are often targeted.
* Secondary infections caused by scratching are common.
* Some people may be highly allergic to the bites.
Physical characteristics of the fle
- wingless, oval shaped and around 2 to 8mm long
- deep brown in color
- small head
- six legs
- large hind legs that enable them to jump long distances.
Fleas and Blood feeding
Adult fleas can survive for some months without feeding on blood. The flea uses its saw-like jaws to slice into skin, usually on accessible parts of the body such as the legs or feet. Flea saliva contains anticoagulants to encourage the blood to keep flowing. Female fleas lay their eggs soon after feeding on blodd.
The larvae cocoon themselves within weeks of hatching. Vibration, such as footsteps, prompts adult fleas to emerge from their cocoons. This is why you may be bitten after entering a house that has been unoccupied for some time.
Flease On Household pets
As your are aware, dogs and cats are common hosts for fleas. Your pet may be irritated by flea bites and scratch often. If you are trying to check your pet for fleas, you want to look around the ears as that is where they hang out most often. If you can’t find actual moving fleas, look for their frass (feces). Flea feces look like small dark specks.
Treatment of Flea Bites on Humans
* Don’t scratch
* Wash the bites with antiseptic soap to reduce the risk of infection.
* Apply an icepack frequently to help take down the swelling.
* Use calamine lotion, anaesthetic creams or similar to treat the itching.
* See your pharmacist for advice on appropriate antihistamine medications to reduce the swelling.
* See your doctor if the symptoms get worse or if a secondary infection develops (indicated by discharge of pus from wounds).
Get Rid of Fleas in Your House
Clean your pet’s bedding and the general surrounds thoroughly.
Vacuum your entire house. Throw away the vacuum cleaner bag, since it will contain fleas and eggs. If you have a bagless vac, be sure to disinfect it with Lysol after emptying.
Take a day away and “flea bomb” the house.
It would be a good idea to treat your lawn with a general lawn insecticide labeled to kill fleas and ticks.
Plan to do these steps again in a couple weeks to get any larvae that have newly hatched.
Professional pest control treatment
Sometimes, it may be necessary to call a professional pest control company. They are equipped with chemicals that kill faster and last longer. Maybe a free estimate from Terminix would be a good idea.
June 16th, 2010 at 4:26 am
can i use lice shampoo to kill fleas on my dogs?would it be harmful?