FLEAS & TICKS

Spring carries a plethora of pests.  In order to prepare you, we are just taking the time to discuss some of our main spring time pests, what to expect, and ways that you can prevent their annoyance and in some cases, destructive ways. We know the importance of protecting your home and family from anything harmful, no matter how small. So let’s get ready for the very rapidly approaching springtime! Here are two pests we think you should be ready to combat:

Fleas

These are by far one of the more intense pests, in our opinion. A female adult flea will have a blood meal and then lay 40-50 eggs a day. Do you know who the blood meal is? Your dog, your kids, you get where we are going with this. It only takes ONE female flea to enjoy a nice blood meal then she lay 40-50 eggs on your dog. Your dog comes inside, shakes, scratches, jumps, plays. These eggs fall off of your dog and about two weeks later, they hatch. Once these larvae hatch, it’s about another two weeks until they spin a cocoon and become a pupa. The pupa stage is interesting because it is nearly resistant to chemicals. The pupa only hatches when the conditions are right. There must be a host and the environment must be right. Flea Pupa can survive in a cocoon for up to a year. Start by vacuuming your entire house including your furniture. Also, bathe your pets with dawn dish soap to kill a number of those fleas off. Call your veterinarian and have them recommend a product for your animals. Do these things repeatedly for the next couple of weeks.

Ticks

Ticks are by far one of the worst pests as they carry around several serious diseases. Some of those are well known like Lyme disease, and some aren’t as well known like, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, and many more. Some tick species stay active during the winter months while others go dormant, but when the temperatures rise, so do our dormant species, in search of a blood meal. May through August is your peak tick season, but March is when they really pick up and start becoming more active. It only takes 24-48 hours of feeding before they can successfully transmit infection or diseases, so prompt detection and removal is important. If you are enjoying life in the outdoors, it’s hard not to present the occasional tick, but checking yourself, your family, and your pets is very important.

There are so many more pests we have covered in our blogs. We hope that this information will encourage you and your family to be vigilant and find ways to prevent. Give us a call today and let us assist you in this process. We know how special this time of year can be when we enjoy it together. So let’s make it a little more peaceful, together!