Don’t know about yours, but our dogs have fleas.

I’m told the warm weather has had a lot to do with it, apparently so have my sketchy anti-flea tactics (bah!). Whatever the cause I really don’t like the creepy-crawly little critters.

Neither do the dogs.

After a quick visit to our local vet and a severe scolding by the receptionist, blatantly unimpressed by how little people know about fleas, I returned home with enough flea-killing potions to supply a small army.

Welcome to the Itchy n' Scratchy Club

I was also given a handful of literature, which I found pretty interesting, especially regarding the life cycle of that nasty little parasite (and uninvited houseguest!), the flea.

It’s a little long-winded, just like my previous post Stop the World, There’re too Many Preservatives, but it makes a lot of sense so I thought I’d share it with you.

Flea control

To fight fleas effectively you have to understand the life cycle of the flea.

Adult fleas live on pets and feed on their blood. Female fleas can lay up to 50 eggs per day while they are on a pet. These eggs are not sticky and fall off the pet into the environment. If your pets spend time indoors it means there WILL be flea eggs in your home. Eggs that end up in the home have a far greater chance of developing further than those that land outdoors.

The eggs hatch out into microscopic larvae (tiny worm-like organisms), which crawl away from light into cracks (e.g. wooden floors, skirting boards), under furniture and rugs, kennels, etc. These larvae then change into pupae – a small adult flea wrapped in a protective cocoon.

Pupae can hatch within a week or two or sit dormant for years before hatching. Insecticides do not kill these pupae. You have to wait for them to get on the animal before killing them. When they hatch they jump onto the pet to feed and you will see them initially as very small fleas.

The fleas you see on your pet make up about 5% of the total population (the rest are eggs, larvae and pupae). By only treating the fleas on the pet when a flea problem exists, you are only treating the tip of the iceberg. If you have a flea problem you need to treat the adult fleas on the pet AND the environment. It does not help to fumigate or spray Doom Foggers, etc. as this does not affect the eggs. You need to use a product (aerosol) that stops the development of the eggs to larvae to pupae (i.e. blocks the lifecycle). These products are called Insect Growth Regulators.

Home treatment

Each canister of hand-held spray does about 50 square metres. Don’t skimp or you’ll waste your money
Move furniture/rugs and vacuum well before spraying
Spray a little in the vacuum bag
Always read the instructions on the can

Products

Flego

Fleegard

Ultrum Duration