Like all pet owners, you want to keep fleas and ticks from bothering both you and your pets. You also don’t want these pests moving into your home to infest your furniture. A flea infestation can take weeks or even months to control. However, by taking some precautions, you can prevent an infestation from starting in the first place. In this article, we are going to review several steps to help you prevent fleas from entering your home.
Review Your Yard
Your first line of defense when it comes to fleas and ticks is ensuring your yard is flea-free. This means keeping your grass mowed and shrubs trimmed back. This simple landscaping trick is the opposite of curb appeal to the fleas and ticks because it means they have fewer places to hide.
Keep Food Picked Up And Plug Holes
Your next step is to discourage feral pets and wildlife from roaming your yard, thus bringing their fleas with them. Opossums, raccoons, and feral cats are the typical and worst offenders. Cancel the invitations by ensuring any outdoor pet food is picked up and not left out. Additionally, be sure to trim back any trees or high shrubs that may boost wild animals into your attic. Be sure to seal off any openings to your crawl spaces, garages, sheds, or under decks, where wild animals or stray dogs and cats could call home.
Spray Your Yard
There are plenty of DIY yard sprays avilalbe at your local home improvement store. For lawn care and pest prevention, consider hiring a lawn care specilist for an all in one option to ensure you don’t have any issues with both your yard and pests.
Apply A Flea Treatment To Your Pets
The best prevention other than your yard is with your pets. Many pet owners use spot-on flea and tick treatments, be sure to speak with your veterinarian about the best flea preventative for your pets. As there are a variety of options available including spot-on and oral options.
Keep A Tidy Home
Having a flea or tick infestation in your home doesn’t necessarily mean your home is dirty. However, if you pay careful attention to certain areas, you can make pests less welcome. There are three stages of immature fleas – flea eggs, larvae, and pupae – which are often found living in your carpeting or throw rugs. So be sure to vacuum at a minimum of once a per week.
Keep in mind, when you vacuum, don’t just cover the center of the room. Fleas will typically avoid high-traffic areas, so be sure to hit baseboards, under furniture, under cushions, and anywhere your pets may sleep or spend time their time. These practices can eliminate 30% of larvae and 60% of flea eggs.
Be sure to change your vacuum bags frequently, or place a flea collar inside the bag to kill emerging fleas. If your pet rides in your car with you, be sure vacuum that too. Wash all bedding that your pets may sleep or sit on. Sheets and blankets will equally hold the immature fleas.
Final Thoughts
It’s never fun to learn that you have a flea infestation. It can be quite embarrassing too. However, you’re not alone. So be sure to give us a call right here at Consolidated Pest Solutions, for your pest infestation needs.
