Flea pest control is among the most important things you should consider if you have cats and dogs in your house. Flea infestations in your home in Oregon usually stem from pets, especially if you take your dogs on regular walks or visits to the pet park. You could also have brought them on playdates or put them up for temporary boarding where they may have contracted the fleas from other pets. Sometimes, fleas can also be present in the soil or ground, and your pets can easily pick them up while frolicking in the yard. Regardless of how your pets got infested with fleas, the first step to getting rid of fleas in your Oregon home is to treat the source the soonest time possible.

If you suspect you have a flea infestation in your Oregon home, we recommend hiring professional flea pest control services to address the problem early on.

At the same time, you should also begin treating your entire property for fleas. In particular, you should concentrate on the areas where your pets frequent. Effective flea pest control in your home needs a two-prong approach to disrupt the entire life cycle of fleas so they can no longer inhabit your property. But first, let us look into some basic facts about fleas.

What are fleas?

Fleas are small, flightless parasites, meaning they generally need a host to thrive and survive. Fleas feed on the blood of various warm-blooded mammals and are known to transmit a range of diseases to the host. In the urban setting, fleas are mostly a problem brought in by family pets, but they can also make their way into homes via wild animals like rats, squirrels, skunks, and raccoons. In domesticated pets, fleas can transmit tapeworms and cause severe anemia when present in large numbers. For this reason, active and continuing flea pest control, prevention and management is a very important aspect of pet care.

What do fleas look like?

Fleas are usually dark red, copper, or brown in color. Adults measure about 0.1 to 0.32 cm (0.039 to 0.13 inch) in length and have flat-shaped bodies, six legs, and two antennae. While they may be small, they are visible to the naked eye and take on the appearance of a pinhead. Fleas don’t have wings but are equipped with very strong legs that enable them to jump as high as 8 inches vertically, which is about 150 times their own height! They also have backwards-pointing bristles which help them to move swiftly through the fur, hair, or feathers of infected animals.

Do fleas bite humans?

While fleas are generally a problem associated with pets, they do bite humans and cause flea-related typhus and dermatitis. They are also the most common transmitter of the rare bubonic plague. Flea bites on humans are commonly found around the legs and ankles. They can also be seen along the groin, waist, and armpits, as well as folds of the skin in your elbows and knees, especially if you cuddle your pets often.

It is also important to note that the saliva of fleas on your pet’s skin and fur can cause serious flea allergy dermatitis and the debris can result in similar allergic reactions in humans. A few flea bites in humans will usually subside on their own without any treatment. However, in order to prevent any further biting, it is always best to apply flea pest control methods and deal with flea infestations completely and permanently. 

Check out our other article on other house pests that bite.

Why should you be concerned about a flea infestation?

Fleas infesting your beloved fur babies are a cause of major and immediate concern. The biggest threat that fleas have on pets (canines, in particular) is a form of blood parasitic infection known as haemobartonellosis. Initial symptoms include weakness and loss of appetite which can gradually progress to anemia due to the fast spread of infection. The characteristic of this type of blood parasitic infection is white to purple gums, which indicate very low red blood cell levels. If not treated early, a blood parasitic infection brought about by fleas can cause hundreds of dollars in vet bills and can even be fatal. For this reason, flea pest control is vital for every pet owner.

Check out our other article on 10 Pests That are Dangerous to Dogs & Cats.

How do you address a flea infestation in your pets?

A flea infestation in your Oregon home starts with treating the source. It will make no sense to treat your entire property if an infested pet will just keep bringing the fleas in. Never dismiss the presence of a few fleas on your pet – these parasitic pests are very prolific breeders and will require effective flea pest control treatments.

On average, the flea life cycle lasts around a hundred days during which these parasitic pests remain on their hosts at all times. Adult female fleas can produce up to 2,000 offspring during their lifetime, so you can just imagine how many fleas can infest your pets if they are left untreated!

Thankfully, there are now many treatment options to get rid of fleas from pets. Start off by bathing your pets regularly using anti-flea soaps or shampoos for minor infestations. For major flea infestations, there are oral, topical, and spot treatments formulated to tackle fleas during their entire life cycle so your pets remain protected during the warmer “flea season”. It is best to consult with your veterinarian to choose the appropriate flea pest control treatment for your pet.

How do you address a flea infestation on your property?

Getting rid of fleas from your Oregon home just doesn’t stop with your pets, however. Flea pest control includes treating areas where pets frequent, and these include kennels, crates, pet bedding, carpets, furniture, and even cracks on your floors and walls.

Prevent household infestations from taking hold by washing, cleaning, and vacuuming frequently to help remove flea populations and prevent the fleas from laying eggs. For serious infestations, you may need to apply heat with a steam cleaner to kill off eggs before vacuuming.

Additionally, be sure to regularly launder pet beddings in hot, soapy water. If infestations are quite severe, however, I’d recommend disposing of old pet bedding and getting new ones instead. Another vital step in flea pest control is to treat pet crates and kennels, but this is a job best left to a professional pest control specialist. A range of organic pest control treatments for fleas is now available and is totally safe for your fur babies.

Outdoors, fleas prefer to hide in overgrown grass so always make sure your lawn is well-groomed at all times. Rodents may also carry fleas, so it is important to eliminate any rodent harborage areas on your property such as overgrown shrubs and trees.

Organic flea pest control Oregon

Getting rid of fleas in your Oregon home isn’t as easy as it may seem. Do-it-yourself methods are not always effective and you’ll probably have to spend more than a couple of weeks trying to kill fleas day in and day out. However, you don’t have to worry about getting safe and effective flea pest control treatments.

If you suspect a flea infestation in your home, contact an organic flea pest control specialist like Ant & Garden Pest Control in Beaverton, Oregon. We specialized in safe, eco-friendly, and 100% organic pest control treatments for a wide range of household pests including ants, spiders, fleas, rodents, and many more.