Fleas
FLEAS - Some of their more common names are blood suckers, pet bugs, no see-ums, hoppers, jumping bugs, and carpet bugs. Fleas are an extremely annoying pest due to the reaction humans and pets have when bitten. Fleas bite and suck blood like mosquitoes but they do it in such numbers that intense itching and severe reactions can occur(such as bottom picture). They infest yards, homes, and pets. That is why the ideal treatment is to treat all three in the same 24-48 hour period.
BIOLOGY- Fleas belong to the order Siphonoptera. They are incredibly small, averaging 2-4 millimeters long, wingless, can jump almost 12 inches high, and are flattened vertically. That is why when you pick one off of something and squeeze your fingers together it does not crush them. You have to roll your fingers in order to kill them. They go through complete metamorphosis meaning egg, larva(middle picture), pupa, adult. After a female mates just once the sperm is stored for present and future egg laying. The eggs are deposited in the hairs or feathers of the host or in the nest but not all at once. She will lay more and more eggs after subsequent blood meals which are needed for egg development. They are not glued or cemented though so they readily fall off the host and are usually found mostly where the host spends the most time. That is why a pet bed or kennel or certain rug will have a high concentration of fleas. Under favorable conditions, the lifecycle from egg to adult can be as quick as 2-4 weeks. The adult flea will emerge from the pupal stage in response to certain stimuli such as vibrations or carbon dioxide. Again, this explains why folks get attacked suddenly when returning from a vacation.
CONTROL - To control fleas one of the most important steps is to remember that the ideal treatment is to treat the house, yard, and any pet if any within a 24-48 hour period. And just like for roaches, there is an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) for fleas called Precor. You mix this with the residual spray for the inside flooring and it prevents the adults from reproducing for up to 7 months thus breaking their life cycle. For outdoor treatments you can use granular insecticides to treat the yard such as Talstar EZ or PL Granular Insecticide. You can also use liquid concentrate residuals to spray the yard such as Onslaught and Demand which are microencapsulated for extra long residual, also Suspend SC, Talstar Pro, and Evercide or Conquer are good choices too. To treat the inside you can use residual liquid insecticides such as Onslaught and Evercide or Conquer to treat flooring and upholstered furniture along with the Precor. There are also aerosols such as Precor 2000 Plus and Ultracide that have the adulticide and an IGR with a special nozzle to treat the flooring and furniture. You can also use environmentally friendly and safer pesticides such as EcoPCO WP-X and EcoEXEMPT Granules for the outside. For the pet we offer Petcor, a spray that contains an adulticide and Precor for long lasting control of fleas, ticks, lice, and mosquitoes for up to 63 days. This spray is good for dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens.
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are New York, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Vermont, and Connecticut.
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