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Pupae can survive in carpets, bedding and crevices
around the home for many months until stimulated to
hatch by the presence of a dog, cat or human. Warmth,
vibrations or CO2 from breath will cause a hungry flea
to hatch within minutes, thus restarting an infestation.
Why control fleas?
Fleas are not just an inconvenience, they can transmit
several diseases, as well as tapeworm, and their saliva
causes itching and sometimes a nasty skin disease in
pets called flea allergic dermatitis. In these cases
it is essential to eradicate fleas from your home or
at least reduce them to a very low level.
Diagnosis
The first sign of a flea problem may be seeing your
pet scratching, biting its coat or showing signs of
discomfort. Scratching, licking and irritation may be
very severe in cases of flea allergy or very mild or
even nonexistent in non-allergic animals. Often you’ll
see these signs without being able to find the cause
because fleas are fast movers and easy to miss. Cats
especially will groom a flea out of their coats before
you get chance to see what is making them uncomfortable.
Flea faeces are often the only evidence of the flea
infestation. They are jet black granules found on the
animal’s fur and bedding. Their presence can be
demonstrated by brushing the animal’s coat onto
damp white paper, the granules will dissolve to create
a red or brown stain. The colouration of the stain is
due to the presence of digested blood.
Occasionally, small white shiny flea eggs may be found
in a pet’s bed. In cases of flea allergy there
may be no evidence of fleas at all, especially in cats,
due to the extra thorough grooming.
Flea reproduction and infestation
Fleas breed all year round but do so most quickly in
warm moist conditions such as during the summertime,
or in centrally heated buildings. Adult fleas account
for only 5% of infestations, the other 95% is made up
of fleas in the other stages of the lifecycle.
Success in controlling fleas requires patience as resistant
pupae will hatch gradually; full control may take 2-3
months to achieve. Maintenance of control is essential
once achieved to prevent re-infestation.
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