Welcome to the world of pet ownership! I’m not sure if this is your first pet or not but for starters, I suggest you read through our FLEA CONTROL ARTICLE which will explain this pest in great detail. As you’ll learn, there is a great chance of a problem developing in your home if you leave it untreated. For this reason, I suggest you do the following.

First, set out some ONCE A YEAR FLEA GRANULES. You’ll basically be treating your carpets and furniture so that any areas where flea larvae might prosper will have a layer of protection in place. Regarding the vacuuming you say you’re doing; keep it up. Especially on tiled or other hard surfaced floors. This will help remove any flea eggs and larvae which are near to impossible to remove from the carpet (which is why you should treat it).

Second, set out some FLEA TRAPS. These will not only help by collecting fleas; they’ll help by alerting you to any activity you may have otherwise missed.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Flea control Article:  http://www.flea.net/flea-control

Once a Year Treatment:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/first-defense-20-ounce-jar

Flea Traps:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/electric/flea-trap

We get this question quite a bit. A hard freeze will kill most any exposed insect. And if it didn’t kill them, it would at least make it immobile which in turn would contribute to it’s death. And fleas are no different. But will cold weather “cure” a flea problem? No way!

Mother nature has designed insects to be able to withstand the environment in many ways. Even in regions that get freezing cold for several months, at some point if they warm above the freezing point there will be some insects that emerge and get active. That being said, cold weather will no doubt “turn off” most any insect effectively shutting down their internal functions. Sometimes they can rebound in any one calendar year but for most, it will lead to their end.

Since fleas have a short life span anyway (7 days or less), many are dying daily whether it’s cold or not. And flea larvae are even more susceptible to the environment which means the cold will no doubt affect them big time. But as explained in our FLEA CONTROL ARTICLE, there is nothing that can kill a flea pupae so they’ll remain in the yard ready to go. That means the next time it’s warm out they could start hatching thus creating the problem all over again.

And since it only takes one flea outside to cause a major problem inside, the prospect of getting a flea problem inside the home is always present – even in the middle of winter! In other words, if you or your pet went outside on a warm day and got a flea pupae to hatch onto your clothing or skin, you could very well bring it inside and initiate a problem. So too could the cat.

So to answer your question, yes, a good cold night can kill some fleas. But no way will this mean they’re gone for the season and though it will help to reduce local populations, fleas will still be present in some phase ready to prosper once the weather warms again.

Yes and no. As explained in our FLEA CONTROL ARTICLE, adult fleas aren’t comfortable out in the open so yes, they can live on a couch. However, they won’t last long. If any person or pet came to the couch, adult fleas on it would naturally seek this warm blooded person or pet hoping to hitch a ride and to take advantage of what this host would provide: a stable living environment. As our article explains, if you left a flea on a couch without food, water or shelter, it would probably die in 5-8 days.

But that’s just half of the story. The second half involves the real problem. Remember, it’s really the flea larvae and eggs which represent the long term “problem” when it comes to fleas and not the hatched adults you see. So if there was just one adult flea on the couch it could very well have laid hundreds of eggs which could in turn make the couch a “flea generator”. Failure to treat it would allow the flea life cycle to go on indefinitely. Adult fleas still wouldn’t want to stay on it but since eggs turn to larvae which turn to pupae which hatch to adults, they’ll just keep appearing endlessly making it seem as though they’re living long periods of time. In fact it’s the never ending flea cycle that’s replenishing all the adults since they don’t live long.

Read our Flea Control Article to learn more about why the flea cycle is the real problem with this pest and why stopping the cycle is how you get flea control.

Flea Article:  http://www.flea.net/flea-control

Flea Cycle:  http://www.flea.net/flea-control#flea_cycle

If you read through our FLEA CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll learn adult fleas and flea larvae die off when it gets cold. But eggs and pupae can remain dormant for many months and upwards of a year. For this reason fleas are able to survive in the harshest of environments. Even where it’s cold 9-10 months of the year flea problems will arise as soon as it gets warm.

But here in Georgia where it’s relatively warm 8-9 months a year, we see flea problems any time. In other words, we have people coming to us with flea problems most every month of the year so as far as we’re concerned, they’re quite active all the time. However, many of the winter time problems involve problems that are fueled by an inside environment. What I mean by this is the homeowners didn’t do any form of flea control in the house which enabled a rogue flea brought inside to cause an infestation. This commonly happens to people who get fleas and don’t even own a pet. It’s also the most likely reason people get flea problems develop even though they’re actively treating their pet. As our article explains, it only takes one flea coming inside your home via a friend or family member. If this flea fed before entering your home, it could very well be more then ready to start laying eggs and these eggs could infest your home whether your pet was still taking Revolution or not.

In summary, there are many ways to get a flea problem and our advice is pretty much the same for all pet owners who want to take a pro active approach to flea prevention. First, be sure and treat your pet with something during the time fleas are active outside. Here in GA, that would be from March-April through to October-November. But don’t stop there. We also suggest treating the inside with something easy and long lasting like our ONCE A YEAR FLEA POWDER. This way if anyone or any pet visiting your home also brings a flea or two, they won’t be able to leave your guest and infest your home.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Flea Control Article:  http://www.flea.net/flea-control

Once A Year Flea Powder:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page23.html

If you read our FLEA CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll learn the cycle of the flea and that it’s entirely possible to get a flea infestation without being a pet owner. Basically all you need is one flea and your house or yard can become infested. There are many animals that carry fleas besides the common pets which are mostly to blame for any local infestation. Additionally, the current weather pattern most of our country is experiencing only serves to heighten the chances that such an infestation can occur.

Still, I’m not quite sure you have fleas. Here’s why. First, seeing flea eggs is just about impossible. To the trained eye they’re quite hard to id; to the average home owner impossible. Second, fleas are very easy to id to the naked eye and not difficult to tell apart from specks of dirt. Lastly, if you did indeed have fleas but no pet that resides in the house, all you would need to do is walk around with bare legs or feet with white socks on. If in fact there were fleas in the home, anyone there would find them landing on their socks or legs. Fleas need food and if there is no host animal in the home on which they can feed, any fleas present will readily attack the people in the home.

At this point if you feel you are unsure or would like to take a proactive approach and do something, I suggest setting out some FLEA TRAPS to start. These do a great job of collecting a wide range of “people seeking pests” and if anything in the home is looking for a blood meal, the traps will surely catch some. This could lead to information that you could then use to solve the problem with the proper treatment the first time around. If after monitoring the problem for some time you still believe there is something living in the carpet or on the floors and would like to spray something, the FLEA TERMINATOR GRANULES would be ideally suited for any carpeting in the home. It’s odorless and very safe yet highly effective lasting upwards of a year. For hardwoods or tiled floors, the PRECOR 2000 would be a good way to treat. It’s a dry aerosol that can be misted over the area. It’s just about odorless, easy to apply and treatments will last many months.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Flea Control Article:  http://www.flea.net/flea-control

Flea Traps:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page22.html

Flea Terminator:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page23.html

Precor 2000:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page246.html

If you read our FLEA CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll learn some key yet often times unknown facts about fleas. One of the big ones is that in general, fleas don’t “hang” out in the open like the grass in a yard. What’s most likely out there would be eggs, larvae and pupae. And this would only be true of larvae and pupae if the conditions are right for them to survive past the “egg” stage. As our article explains, these guys need a lot of water, humidity and food to live past the larval stage. Now if they do survive this stage, they’ll then pupate and when ready to hatch, they’ll only do so when a meal is close by so they can jump on it and feed. The key here is that they’ll only hatch out to an adult when food is close by and not because they’re ready to hatch.

So to answer your question we need to look at the impact rain has on the four stages of the flea’s development. The first stage, eggs, are probably not affected much. If anything, the rain might pick up some and relocate them elsewhere as the water runs down gullies and drains off your property. No doubt some will be relocated to an environment where they won’t stand a chance at survival. But surely some will relocate to ideal conditions so in the end rain can’t directly kill eggs but indirectly it could have a big impact on what happens to any group of eggs.

The next stage, larvae, are small little worm like creatures which are very weak and vulnerable. They need protection from the weather including extreme sun and rain. No doubt flea larvae probably suffer from a hard downpour. In fact, this stage is probably the one that suffers the most from a good rain.

The third stage, the pupae, is much like a flea egg in that it’s protected and secure. Rain, sun and other weather won’t much affect it directly in the short term. And though rain might carry it away to a somewhere more remote destination, flea pupae spend all their time waiting for a meal to come by. Meals can be in the form of a cat, dog, squirrel, chipmunk, raccoon, deer and basically any mammal including people. And they can wait a long time. Upwards to a year or more. All this while you never know they’re out there laying and lurking but if any type of food comes close enough, it will instinctively hatch and jump onto it’s “meal ticket”.

Lastly, the adults are no doubt badly affected by direct rain. It will probably kill most any out in the open but as stated above, adult fleas don’t make a habit of staying out in the open. Remember, adults only want to feed, mate and lay eggs. Most die within a few days of hatching from their pupae casing and for the ones that last 1-2 weeks, they’ll only be able to do so if they’re well protected on some animal’s skin where they’ll be feeding and laying eggs.

So in summary, rain doesn’t really do much “killing” of fleas. In fact, we feel rain really does nothing but make the overall flea problems worse. Having been in the business for over 30 years, I’ve seen a definite pattern between the rain and the fleas. That pattern is simple: more rain, more fleas. In fact, I think it’s safe to say more rain, more bugs! No doubt water is essential for most insects and rainy years are undoubtedly “worse” for most people. Of course for us in the bug business, rain is a good thing

Here is a direct link to our Flea Control Article:  http://www.flea.net/flea-control

Thank you,
T.

Non toxic flea control is best achieved with the ONCE A YEAR FLEA POWDER and the FLEA TRAPS we have featured in our FLEA CONTROL ARTICLE. The granules are arguably the best flea product out there and in my opinion the most effective way to treat. I prefer it over sprays and aerosols and having used it many years, I’ve found it works better and is easier to employ as well. Additionally, neither pose a hazard to your pets – even when walked upon.

As our article explains, the Flea Trap is an excellent tool that when used with the Flea Granules will help you achieve the best results possible. Most homes will require 3-4 traps to get optimal results but it’s well worth the investment. As long as you vacuum the “non rug” areas of the home – specifically the hardwood, tile or cement areas – you should be able to keep these untreated areas clean and free of the debris flea larvae need to prosper. In the carpet, the Flea Granules will provide long term control and after a few weeks following the initial treatment, you should be well on your way of achieving “flea free” status.

One last note; start using the PETCOR on the pets to insure you are breaking the flea cycle that could be happening on them. Pyrethrin based spray by itself isn’t going to break this cycle and as our article explains, this can be a major contributor to the problem.

Lastly, if you suspect there could be a problem outside, treat the yard as explained in our article.

Fleas need humidity big time. In fact, if you keep the area dry and low in air moisture the flea problem will definitely diminish. One of our best flea products, the Once a Year Flea Powder, is very effective at reducing the fleas because it makes the place where the flea larvae and pupae so dry the flea cycle can’t complete like it can when it’s wet and moist. Get a dehumidifier and some Flea Granules for the carpeting and you should be able to keep the flea population under control.