What happens to fleas in the winter? Fleas don’t hibernate or become inactive when the weather gets cold. They simply latch onto a host and make their way inside your warm home. With winters lately being warmer than average, it’s no surprise that fleas have become a bigger problem in recent winters. Fleas can pose serious health issues to both your pets and your family. The best way to avoid a flea infestation is to practice good flea prevention measures year-round. Here are a few flea prevention tips to help keep your home and your pets flea-free.
Winter Fleas
Adult fleas can be found on pets and wildlife throughout the winter. The ones that survive in the cold months are typically those that have already made a nest in your house or on your pets. Cold temperatures don’t kill flea eggs either; they just slow down the life cycle. Flea eggs can hatch throughout the entire winter. Once inside, they continue to breed, infesting your pets, their bedding, carpets, furniture, and more. They can survive indoors as long as they take advantage of the warm temperatures and a readily available food source. If you stop a flea treatment to early during the early months on winter you have a higher chance of reinfestation. So it is good to stay on top of your treatments year round.
Pet Treatment
Of course, having pets in your home increases the risk of a flea infestation. They can carry fleas into your home which in turn spreads them around. Fleas typically target hosts that aren’t as healthy or that have undeveloped immune systems. These include puppies, kittens, and older animals. This means that things like your pet’s diet, immune system, and how much exercise they get each day are very important when it comes to flea control and prevention.
Grooming is another key aspect of flea treatment. Combing your pet with a flea removal comb will help to remove adults and destroy eggs. Even though this can be time consuming and tedious to search for fleas, it will allow you to keep your pet flea free. It will also save you from having to deal with a full-on flea infestation later.
Prevention is the real key to reducing your pet’s risk of exposure to fleas. The most effective way to control flea infestations is to treat the pet directly all year round. Prescription and non-prescription direct treatments in the form of topical applications, flea shampoo’s, tablets and sprays are all products that can be obtained to effectively treat fleas on your pet.
Home Treatment
Keeping your home clean is one of the most affective ways to combat fleas. Cleaning and vacuuming the carpets and furniture will pick up eggs and existing fleas. This is crucial if your pets sleep or inhabit your sofa, bed, etc. Actively cleaning your pet’s sleeping areas and washing used blankets will significantly remove eggs and larvae.
Do-it-yourself pest control can be effective but not 100%. Many over the counter products can be used to control your home against fleas. Products like sprays and traps have been designed to allow a low concentration of insecticide to be used by untrained homeowners. If you decide to choose a DIY pest control, be sure to follow directions as some insecticides can be harmful to your health. The best thing to have your home fully taken care of is to call your local pest control company for flea service.
Call Any Pest Today!
Have a possible flea infestation? Homeowners should first contact their pest control professional to conduct a thorough inspection in order to localize the problem, identify the root, and determine where fleas are inhabiting. Attempting to tackle a flea problem on your own could lead to much worse damage and exasperation of the problem. If you have a flea infestation, call Any Pest today or contact us online here.