Although fleas can bother your pet all year around, they seem to be worse in summer because that is when they live and reproduce in prodigious numbers outside. The rest of the year they reproduce inside your house, which is not a comforting thought, either. A cat who is being bothered by fleas will clean more, chew little spots particularly around the base of the tail, and may develop an infection from the animal’s response to the flea bites. And, of course, you can be bitten also.

When you are dealing with fleas, it may be tempting to get out an entire arsenal of products to kill them in the tracks - so to speak. But it will help you and your pet if you learn more about the flea before you begin combat. Fleas are hardy and determined. They have a four-stage life-cycle which makes it difficult to eliminate them. Additionally, fleas don’t spend most of their time on your pet so locating their hiding places is a challenge.
 
Their most resilient life-stage of a flea is the tiny hibernating cocoon. This can live in your house or yard for over a year without feeding and are protected by an impenetrable shell. It is this stage that survives most treatments and returns to breed and re-populate year after year.

How do fleas get into your house to begin with? Well, fleas can jump over 6 feet, and they enter the house by any carrier available including pets and humans. Fleas will cling to your pet’s fur and paws and to your clothing. When you prepare to treat fleas - that is, to eliminate them, you must treat all areas indoors and out and your pet at the same time. Otherwise, the fleas will wait you out and return when conditions are more conducive to their survival.

In addition to flea shampoos, powders, and monthly treatments, there are now also Insect Growth Regulators (IGR). Many aerosols and pet flea product contain IGRs.  IGRs help in controlling the reproduction of fleas by not allowing them to reach sexual or reproductive maturity.

Not everyone is in favor of IGRs however because the long term effects on other species are not well researched. If you want to check out other, less toxic treatments, you can visit the "flea fact sheet" at Beyond Pesticides.

Beyond Pesticides

Posted by Barbara.