EVEN AIKEN HOMES WITHOUT PETS CAN GET FLEAS

Does it sound strange to you that your home could be infested with fleas even if you don't have a dog or a cat? Well, you have to take into consideration that dogs and cats aren't the only furry animals that can bring fleas into man-made structures. Any furry animal that gets into your home can bring fleas in with them. In our area, there are three common pests that get into homes. They're all rodents. Let's take a moment to look at them and talk about how effective they are at spreading fleas in your home.

Squirrels

In New Jersey, we have Eastern gray squirrels and flying squirrels. Most of the time, these animals are content to stay outside where they belong. But they can get the notion that your Aiken home would be nicer than living in a tree. When this happens, you can expect them to infiltrate your attic spaces by way of your roofline, soffits, eaves, and the seals around roof penetrations. Fortunately, they are usually content to stay in your attic, and that's where their fleas will stay as well. If you don't have a finished attic, you shouldn't be exposed to fleas or flea bites.

Rats

We have two types of rats in our service area. They are Norway rats and roof rats. Both can bring fleas into your home, but Norway rats are slightly worse. Norway rats prefer to live in ground burrows outside and are likely to go in and out of your home. Each time they go out, they can pick up more fleas. Roof rats get inside and often stay inside, which can reduce how many fleas they bring in. When either of these rats get into your home, they'll explore each floor, but not every inch. Rats run along walls with one side touching the wall. They're only lured away from walls when there is an enticing food source or there is clutter to hide in. A cluttered room can have fleas in many locations, and this can expose you or your kids to flea bites.

Mice

The most common home-invading mouse is aptly called the common house mouse. They are the most common home-infesting rodents in the United States. If you have mice in your home, you'll have more issues with fleas. This is because mice are territorial and do a lot more exploring of their environment. Rats tend to follow the same runways and frequent the same locations. It will take longer for rats to spread fleas around.

How Fleas Are Spread

The life cycle of a flea is important to consider if you're looking to control fleas or to understand how animals bring an infestation into your home.

When a flea hatches from its egg, it is a worm-like larva. It doesn't jump around and it can't bite you to get a blood meal. It is dependent on flea dirt—the feces of adult fleas. Eggs and flea dirt fall off of animals as they explore, and are concentrated in areas where animals hide or bed down.

If flea larvae can find enough flea dirt, they will develop and eventually cocoon themselves. In this cocooned state they develop through their pupal stage and become adults. The adults wait until a host passes before they break free of their cocoons, spring through the air, and attempt to get onto the passing animal. If they choose to get on you, they'll take a blood meal and fall back off.

Adults that get onto furry animals outside of your home will be carried into your home. As the animal travels around, eggs and flea dirt will fall to the floor. In common areas, this can lead to cocooned adult fleas in areas that are near where you sleep, sit, or walk.

Flea Prevention Tips

Using what we've talked about so far, let's take a look at how you can specifically address a flea infestation in your home if you don't have a pet:

• Vacuum your carpets frequently and be sure to target the edges where eggs, larvae, and cocooned fleas may be located.
• Clean clutter up and vacuum all areas where the clutter was.
• Launder all bedding.
• Do a detailed inspection of your exterior walls and seal any holes, gaps, or cracks.
• Monitor your exterior for any holes that develop.

Pest Control In Aiken

If you continue to have issues with fleas, contact Aiken Pest Control for flea treatment and rodent control. We are a full-service pest control provider in Aiken and the surrounding area. Our team can help you address any of the pests that get into your home. We're standing by to assist you.