Answering Garden City's Most Common Flea Questions

Affinity Pest Control is your number one source for pest control In Garden City, Idaho and the surrounding areas. Our experts have years of experience handling flea infestations of every shape and size, and have taken the time to answer some common questions many homeowners have when it comes to fleas, how they get inside, and what’s necessary to stop them.

How Do You Know If It's A Bad Flea Infestation?

Part of the reason fleas are a difficult pest for homeowners is that it can be hard to gauge the size and severity of the infestation. Most of the time humans detect they have a flea infestation, it is through their pets. Here are some common pet-related warning signs that can indicate a severe infestation:

• Pets developing health problems such as tapeworms 
• Pets excessively scratching, licking, or biting their fur
• Brown or black debris in your pets’ coats
• Pets losing fur in infested areas 
• Pets developing pale gums from blood loss
• Fleas visibly within your pet’s fur 
• Fleas visibly hopping on your carpet, floors, or furniture

Once inside the home, fleas often find their way from pets onto people. If you’ve been bitten by fleas, you’re probably covered in patches of red, itchy bumps, most often found on the lower legs and feet. These will only grow bigger when scratched, and will only make the itching worse - so try not to scratch! Additional symptoms that indicate you’ve been bitten by fleas include hives, rash, and swelling around the bite site(s).

Are Flea Bites Harmful To Humans?

While fleas commonly transmit life-threatening diseases to dogs and cats, they are generally not considered dangerous to humans. However, that doesn’t make them harmless.

For humans, while the flea bite itself is rarely painful or life-threatening, the allergic reaction caused by the bite can be serious. For allergic people, the increased production of histamine in their bodies as a response to flea bites can send them into anaphylaxis, including intense itching, rash or hives, shortness of breath, and swelling to the face, hands, mouth, and/or lips. Anaphylaxis can cause difficulty breathing and can be life-threatening if it isn’t treated immediately. 

Will Fleas Go Away On Their Own If The House Is Empty?

Some people believe that you can kill a flea by simply removing its host. If you completely empty your home of all furniture, pets, and people, surely they will all die off in a few weeks? Unfortunately, it is not that simple.

Fleas are animals, and like any animal, they need to feed to survive. However, starving them out is a costly and time-consuming process. They can live for up to 9 months in a completely empty house. Emptying the house will starve out the adult fleas, but if you don’t wait a full nine months, you risk the dormant eggs and pupae they’ve left behind from simply becoming active again.

To answer the question: no, fleas will not go away just because the house is empty, unless you leave it empty for a long time. For most people, the best and most realistic solution is to contact a professional pest control expert for help. 

What's The Best Way To Get Rid Of Fleas?

Here are some helpful tips to prevent fleas in your Garden City home:

• Vacuum the floors and carpets regularly
• Rake leaves and remove clutter from your yard
• Mow the lawn frequently
• Eliminate moisture problems and stagnant water around your home
• Bathe your pets with flea-treating products
• Take steps to prevent flea-carrying wildlife from entering your property
• Wash your clothes and bedding frequently

Unfortunately, if prevention fails, the best solution is always to call a professional for help rather than trying to eliminate the problem on your own. Fleas are notoriously difficult to treat for 3 core reasons:

• They are incredibly small
• They are incredibly agile
• They reproduce incredibly fast

Because of these three factors, fleas are naturally adept at getting into almost anywhere inside homes they infest. Once they get in on the back of your dog or cat, they can quickly spread into the carpet, furniture, bedding, and eventually onto you.

Due to the above factors, once fleas get established in a home, they’re almost impossible to completely eliminate. They can get into almost anywhere in your home, and if you fail to treat every infested carpet, mattress, or piece of furniture, they’ll just return in a matter of days.

Like any other pest problem, the only sure-fire way to eliminate a flea infestation safely and completely is with the help of a professional pest control provider. Affinity Pest Control offers specialized flea treatments that can target specific problem areas around your home, eliminating the entire infestation at once so that it can’t simply spring up again. Contact us today for a consultation and find out why Garden City homes and businesses trust Affinity Pest Control for all their flea control needs.