It’s summer time and your furry friend is spending a lot of time outside. Problem is you are not the only one who loves your friend, so do the fleas. So when your friend and companion comes inside, well the fleas do to! Fleas are not just a nuisance but a health risk to your companion and you as well. The bite of the flea slowly drains the blood, introduces worms and cause skin problems for the furry transport.

For you the problem is that the flea while does not linger on you like the animals but fleas do inflict painful bites on humans. Fleas can be a huge problem to get rid of in the home. They get into the carpet, the furniture and the beds. However, over the years products and other methods have been discovered and developed to combat these painful pests. Listed below are some of the ways to get rid of these pests. Lets start with simple home based methods.

Step one: Flea inspections for both you and your pet when the two of you enter and leave the house. If a flea is found flush it down the toilet, drown it in alcohol or soapy water.

Step two: As a precaution you can invest in Frontline or Advantage topical drops. These drops are applied to the skin between the shoulders. If there are fleas present these drops will kill both the adult flea and the eggs. There is also Capstar, this is a tablet form of the above products. Capstar leaves no residue and takes affect in about and hour.

Step three: You can’t seem to vacuum enough. Before you vacuum sprinkle the carpet with plain table salt, let sit for two hours and then go to town vacuuming every room of the house (you never know where those little buggers get into) and then empty the vacuum outside so that the banished bugs can’t get back in. When vacuuming pay especial attention to crevices, corners, cracks and the basement.

Step Four: You need to clean all the bedding in the house. Wash in hot water in order to kill the adult fleas and the eggs, dry it in full sun or the hottest setting on the dryer. When washing it isn’t the temperature but the length of time it stays in the suds. The reason is that in about 15 to 20 minutes the suds will break down the coating of wax that leads to dehydration and death.This should be done once a week during the hot season where you live.

Step Five: Use a flea bomb that has been approved by a veterinarian.

Step Six: If after all this and nothing works; call in the professionals.

Step Seven: prune trees and mow the grass short to increase the sunlight. Flea larvae can not survive in dry and hot environments.

Step Eight: Watch for the signs of flea infestation. Your pet will scratch and bite themselves excessively especially around the lower back and tail. Bare patches may appear where your friend has been scratching and biting themselves. If you see “flea debris” which appears a granular and black dried blood along with fleas then follow the steps to get rid of them.

Further things to keep in mind to help you get rid of fleas during the warm season when fleas are the most active include…

• Be extremely diligent during your own extermination efforts.
• Flea pupa (fleas while in the cocoon) are impervious to treatments and are able to live up to eight months without food.
• A female flea is able to lay one egg per hour during her three month life span.
• Never apply any flea products to very young kittens or puppies.
• Be careful with the insecticides you use on your feline friend since they are very sensitive to chemicals.
• If your friend ingests any fleas they run the risk of worm (especially tapeworm) infestation.

So as you can see fleas are a serious health risk not to just your pet but yourself as well. With these tips in mind you and your companion friend can enjoy a flea free summer.

HowOMG.com