5 Mistakes Bellaire Residents Make To Attract Fleas
Whether or not you’ve ever had pets, it’s safe to assume you’ve dealt with—or at least heard of—fleas. Fleas are most active from spring through early fall, but because of the warm year-round climate here in Bellaire, the fleas that bother us are active all year long. This means your home is never safe from a flea infestation, especially if you have pets.
Flea saliva is known to cause allergic reactions in both humans and pets, creating an urge to scratch intensely at the affected area, sometimes to the point of bleeding. These blood-sucking parasites are capable of spreading rapidly, meaning that in a matter of just a few weeks, you could be spotting dozens of fleas daily in your rugs, across your bed, and on your pets. Fleas are also a major distributor of tapeworms in pets, which can lead to serious problems with your pet’s health.
However, you might be attracting fleas to your home without even realizing it! A lot of homeowners make mistakes when it comes to keeping fleas off their property, but you don’t have to be one of those people. Keep these 5 mistakes in mind so you can be sure you aren’t making them.
1. Failing To Seal Entry Points
While fleas themselves will not typically wander into your home on their own, animals such as squirrels, mice, and raccoons will, often bringing fleas along with them. Small cracks in your foundation, open chimneys, dislodged roofing, and torn window screens are all common areas through which mammal pests invade your home. Sealing off entry points where other pests get in can dramatically reduce the number of fleas getting into your home.
2. Not Treating Your Lawn
Sure, it’s common knowledge that you treat your home if fleas are inside, but what about your yard? Often, people make the mistake of only treating their homes for fleas, even when fleas normally reside in the brush and grass that is around the outside of their home. If you treat your home for fleas, but not your lawn, your house is going to be infested time after time.
3. Forgetting To Check Your Pet
Most pet owners allow their animals outside, so it’s no surprise that they might pick up fleas during the time they are outside. Many pet owners fail to thoroughly inspect their pet’s fur before letting them back inside. This can be a major issue if the fleas that are brought inside are female and start laying eggs.
4. Not Washing Pet Bedding
When people think of fleas, it is always the fleas on pets they think about. Many people don’t know that fleas can live up to 100 days without a meal. That means they can comfortably rest in your pet’s bed for the entire day, and then feed on your pet’s blood when they lay down at night. If you wash your pet’s bedding regularly, then any new fleas that happen to get in and onto your animal’s bedding will be killed after the first wash.
5. Failing To Clean Your Home Properly
Something as simple as cleaning your home shouldn’t be that hard, right? One would think that, but it is very easy to forget to do that deep clean that most people associate with spring cleaning. Vacuuming carpets, washing sheets, and blankets, picking up pillows and cushions off the floors—these things are essential to get rid of fleas.
How You Can Make Your Yard Less Appealing To Fleas
Making your home and yard less appealing to fleas is an essential part of the battle to prevent infestations and keep your pests and family both comfortable and safe. Now that we’ve covered what not to do, let’s take a look at some of the steps you should take in order to minimize your risk for flea bites and flea infestations in Bellaire.
We’ll start indoors. Your first step should be to maintain a clean living space. This involves vacuuming regularly, especially in rooms or areas where pets spend a lot of time. Likewise, you’ll also need to pay special attention to carpets, rugs, bedding (both human and animal), and upholstered furniture: all areas where fleas can easily hide in wait for prey. Wash pet bedding frequently in hot water to eliminate flea eggs and larvae that might be nestled inside. If you know you have fleas, dispose of the vacuum bags outside the home after you’re done to ensure the fleas can’t crawl out of the trash and re-infest.
Next, focus on your home’s exterior. To create a less appealing environment for fleas in your yard, focus on reducing areas of high humidity and moisture. Like any other animal, fleas need water to survive, so removing areas of standing water can do wonders to deter them. Overgrown vegetation can provide both moisture content as well as a place to hide, so trim overgrown trees and bushes regularly and mow the lawn on a regular basis.
The Best Solution For Fleas In Bellaire
The best strategy to rid your Bellaire property of fleas is to call a professional the moment you realize you have a problem. Modern Pest Control knows your pest problem is specific to you, and we will work with you to find the best solution to keep your home safe from pesky invasions. Call Modern Pest Control today to learn more about our residential pest control programs.