Flea Control the Hearts Pest Management Way

Fleas are a serious and embarrassing problem. Fleas spread disease. They make life miserable for their hosts and, if left uncontrolled, they can deny you access to your home. Hearts pest control program for fleas can eliminate fleas quickly and effectively. We’ll work with you to make the process as painless as possible. Our Consulting Pest Technicians will come out quickly and ready to begin service immediately. We’ll assess your situation fast and begin treatment that day.

Fleas are insects of the order Siphonaptera, which means they are wingless (a-ptera) and they suck blood (siphon). Fleas are very small, usually no more than a 16th of an inch. They can jump around 7 inches high, putting them right above ankle level on most people. From there they will crawl to a suitable spot to feed and breed. Given the opportunity, a flea will spend its entire life on the host organism. They can be scratched off but will always seek to return. Their eggs fall off the host after being laid. Often a pet’s bedding area will be a site of infestation as eggs will fall off as the pet lies down and gets up. Fleas breed on the host organism.
Pet owners aren’t the only ones who have to deal with fleas. There are a variety of conditions which may allow fleas to survive in an area that doesn’t contain pets. Moist sand or sandy soil and areas of dense foliage which produce shade are good examples of what to look out for, especially if wild or stray animals frequent those locations. Fleas can become dislodged from a wandering animal and end up ready to jump onto a new host – including people.

Your Hearts Consulting Pest Technician can identify your problem quickly and create a solution that will give you fast results and apply a treatment that is minimally invasive. We can often use low impact alternatives to standard pesticides to reduce the level of toxin in and around your home.

Fleas and the Health of your Pet

Pets with untreated flea problems can experience Flea Allergy Dermatitis, an unpleasant skin condition which causes major discomfort and may also lead to secondary skin infections. Fleas may transmit plague or tapeworm to your pets. Very young pets may develop Anemia as a result of flea bites.

Fleas and Your Health

Fleas are known to transmit both typhus and plague to humans. Secondary infections from severe flea bite areas can occur, including staph. Allergic reactions to flea bites can cause people to experience dermatitis, a persistent itching, flaking and discoloration of the skin. If fleas can transmit tapeworms to your pets, they can also transmit them to you and your family. Fleas that have been feeding on livestock and/or stray animals can, in rare cases, retransmit tapeworms to humans. Fleas can also be a psychological problem, causing the feelings of isolation, embarrassment and agitation.

At Hearts, we are committed to a holistic approach to the reduction of pest organisms and the restoration of your home in an ecologically sound manor. We combine customer sensitivity, communication and an appropriate level of treatment to give you exactly what you need.

Flea Prevention

Fleas can sometimes be prevented. Keeping up with a regular over-the-counter or vet administered flea treatment, such as Front Line or Advantage, is a great start. The front and back yard should be free of clutter and refuse. Moist, shady soil should be removed or the source of moisture should be removed. Regular vacuuming in the home helps and be sure to change the vacuum bag or empty and clean the dirt cup right away if you even suspect there may be or may have been fleas. And don’t just change the bag or dump the cup; place the bag or cup contents into a plastic bag, tie it up as tightly as possible, and get it out of the house and into the garbage. In this case you should keep garbage containers as far from the house as possible. Clothing and bedding may need to be washed or dry-cleaned. Pay particular attention to pet bedding, as this will be infested with both fleas and eggs.

Flea Treatment Program

The Hearts process for flea control is simple and effective:

• Before we even begin to treat, you will receive a complete inspection to assess the nature of the problem and how extensive or simple your treatment will need to be. We’ll consult with you on the issues that pertain to flea reduction such as sanitation, landscape and pet treatment issues, starting a program that you feel comfortable with.
• We will treat your home for the fleas you have. We may fan spray the various landscape you may have on your property and carpeted areas within your home. We may also use granulars to heighten control. Hearts is committed to the reduction of toxins whenever possible. To that end we use a variety of flea remediation substances which differ in their toxicity and mode of action. Pyrethrins are an effective standard chemical in the control of fleas. We also have organic alternatives. Hearts Pest Management is the first and only EcoWise Certified pest control company in Southern California. We also incorporate the use of Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) in our treatment. IGRs, such as Precor and NyGuard, prevent young fleas from developing into adults. This stops the fleas from being able to breed.
• We will retreat your home in 2 to 4 weeks to make sure you’re completely covered.
• We will again inspect your property and consult with you to ensure that you understand the program that we have set up, and to make sure that it is workable.

Flea Species in Southern California

Fleas in Southern California come in a variety of species. There are Cat, Dog, Rat, Human, and other types of Fleas. The differences can usually only be seen with a microscope. Just because a flea has a name that indicates the type of animal it can usually be found on doesn’t mean that it will not look for food somewhere else. Most fleas do not discriminate when they are hungry. Cat Fleas don’t only attack cats; in fact the majority of flea infestations in the US are of Cat Fleas. Regardless of the type of flea, your Hearts Consulting Pest Technician is qualified to choose the correct treatment for your flea problem.

Cat Flea
Dog Flea
Human Flea
Oriental Rat Flea
Northern Rat Flea

Ctenocephalides felis
Ctenocephalides canis
Pulex irritans
Xenopsylla cheopis
Nosopsyllus fasciatus