Reasons for the appearance of fleas in an apartment and the main methods of combating them

What does a flea look like?

There are more than 2,000 species of fleas in the world. Dog, cat and rat parasites are widespread in European territory. Due to its modest dimensions, the flea looks like a tiny dot. The dimensions of the above-mentioned individuals are about 1 mm.

For reference! The largest representatives of the order are moose fleas. An ordinary parasite is 1 cm long, and a fertilized female reaches a size of 1.5 cm.

The insect's body consists of two parts - the head and abdomen. The flea is protected from physical impact by a durable chitinous shell. The body of the parasite is flattened laterally and resembles a shrimp in appearance. This shape makes it easier for the flea to move through thick fur.

Flea

The parasite lacks wings for the sake of protection: a winged insect is much easier to crush than a walking insect with a shell. The flea has three pairs of limbs, with the hind ones being more developed. With their help, the pest can jump to a height of up to 20 cm. Successful movement on the host is facilitated by the abundance of bristles and spines throughout the body. They also help to hold on when the animal grooms itself.

The flea has a yellow or brown tint, depending on the subspecies. The parasite changes its color after drinking blood - to a dark brown or black color. In this case, the size of the insect can increase several times due to the swollen stomach.

Mechanical methods for eliminating fleas: treating floors and carpets

The best way to remove fleas from carpet is to sprinkle desiccant on it. For example, salt or a mixture of salt and soda. Crystals of these substances attach to the flea and, when rubbed, cause bleeding, from which it dies. After 1–1.5 weeks, the salt should be vacuumed, the dust bag carefully tied and immediately taken out of the house. You will have to repeat the procedure 2-3 times.

Floors and high-pile carpets must be thoroughly treated for fleas

You can also use diatomite - mountain flour (sold at a hardware store or florist). The advantage of this method is that diatomaceous earth powder is not dangerous and edible, that is, pets will not be harmed even if they eat too much of the product.

How to remove insects from a sofa, upholstered furniture or clothing

Fleas often live inside furniture or clothing that is stored in a closet. Any dishwashing liquid will help destroy them.

1. Apply foam gel to the wet sofa.
2. Leave for 10-15 minutes.
3. Rinse off the foam thoroughly.
4. Dry the surface with a cotton cloth or hair dryer.
5. Remove dead fleas.

Experienced housewives use brewer's yeast to treat furniture and carpets; its smell repels and drives away fleas.

1. Rub brewer's or nutritional yeast into the carpet or upholstered furniture.
2. After 5–10 minutes, rinse with warm water.
3. Vacuum the surface after drying.

If insects have chosen old clothes or bedding to live in, soak them in diluted dishwashing gel, then wash them at high temperatures.

Note. Before treating clothes or upholstered furniture, do a test: apply foam to an inconspicuous area and wait 15 minutes. If the fabric has not faded, feel free to start fighting fleas.

Household methods of fighting fleas - video

Signs of fleas in your home

Let's figure out how to determine that there are parasites in the house. First of all, these are bites. Flea activity manifests itself on the legs - from the feet to the lower legs. Further than 20-30 cm, that is, the height of the insect's jump, inflammation does not spread.

Recognizing flea bites is not difficult. These are hard bumps with a tiny hole in the center and redness around the perimeter. During feeding, one individual makes peculiar paths, leaving 3-5 bites at a distance of 0.5-1 cm. Subsequently, the problem area swells, itches, and in severe cases, ulcers form.

You should also examine your pets by parting the fur and exposing the skin. If numerous black dots (insect feces) are visible on the hair and body, then you can be sure that flea eggs and larvae are already developing in secluded places in the apartment.

For reference !
An easy way to find out if there are pests in your home is with a blank sheet of paper. We place several pieces in places where the pest is expected to be concentrated and wait about half an hour. Small dark dots are clearly visible on contrasting paper.

Why are house fleas dangerous?

A flea bite is very unpleasant and painful. The skin shows signs of irritation and itching (pulicosis). If the bites are numerous, an allergic reaction develops and a secondary rash appears. If the bite sites are scratched, they can become infected and pustules appear on the skin.

But bites are not the most dangerous harm caused by fleas. These parasites can spread many infectious diseases:

• plague;
• encephalitis;
• hepatitis;
• brucellosis.

In total, a flea can cause more than 200 infections.

Flea habitats

If you understand that there are insects in the house, the next question arises - how to find fleas? First of all, you need to examine your pets. In almost 100% of cases, it is the animals who are to blame for the appearance of blood-sucking parasites in the home. Fleas successfully develop on warm-blooded hosts - cats, dogs and birds. As the population increases, insects begin to migrate around the house: they settle in floor cracks, under baseboards, in technical openings, and also hide in carpets and interior items.

Clothing is hardly an exception; fleas can live there too, since fleecy items of clothing are the optimal habitat for the parasite. The clothes have a lot of folds and an ideal microclimate. The only thing that is not there is food, so the flea is forced to go hunting.

Flea prevention

Well, we got rid of the insects, our next step is to prevent them from appearing again. Here are some tips:

• Keep your home clean and tidy - weekly cleaning
• Do not pick up or bring home stray animals - if you want to, then immediately purchase supplies and carry out treatment
• Walking pets only with flea collars or after treatment with a special spray
• In order not to constantly resort to chemicals, “folk remedies” are suitable - wormwood, tansy, insecticide. Place bunches of herbs at the doorstep or in each room. Plants will repel insects. And fleas also carry worms, so treat yourself and your pet

Conclusions from Tikhon: If fleas appear in your home, start fighting them immediately, because parasites multiply quickly and carry many diseases and infections.

If you have experience with fleas, please share it in the comments below. Perhaps he will help someone make the right decision.

Happiness to you and your home.

How to find a flea nest in an apartment?

After the pets have been examined, you need to try to detect fleas in the apartment, for which you should carefully examine all the secluded places in the house where parasites can concentrate. It is better to act radically and for sure: dismantle the baseboards, shake up all the linen, clothes and carpets, and also carefully examine every corner of the upholstered furniture.

Many people find fleas in completely unexpected places, for example, in the bedside table, folds of curtains or in the PC system unit. The parasite does not have foragers like ants and the path to the colony cannot be traced. In addition, the flea is very small and after the next jump it is lost from sight. Therefore, the only right decision is a complete inspection of everything and everyone in the apartment.

Where do fleas live on the street?

Fallen leaves, grass in the shade under bushes and trees are ideal places to attack animals

Outdoors, fleas live in tall grass, sand, garbage and other places where they can find shelter and where there is sufficient moisture. Therefore, tall grass in the bush area is ideal for them to go through all three stages of development. In addition, animals often like to hide in the shade on hot days - exactly in those places where fleas live.

How to get rid of fleas at home?

First of all, it is necessary to treat pets - a source of parasites. Otherwise, fleas will appear in the house again in just a day or two. You can find drugs on sale in different form factors, but drops on the withers are considered the most effective.

Drops on the withers

Popular flea remedies for cats and dogs:

• Bayer;
• Inspector;
• Animal Play;
• Merial;
• Celandine.

Next, you should treat all areas in the house where parasites can concentrate. There are also plenty of options to choose from: aerosols, suspensions, powders and concentrates. The former have an immediate effect, but do not cause any significant harm to the larvae and eggs. Therefore, it is more advisable to give preference to powders, concentrates and suspensions.

Important! It is necessary to treat every corner: cracks, technical holes, baseboards, wallpaper - everything that is within 30-40 cm from the floor. If the furniture is in the way, then it needs to be moved away. Half measures in such an enterprise are unacceptable.

Effective remedies for fleas in the apartment:

• Get;
• Cypermethrin;
• Clean house;
• Sinuzan;
• Tetramethrin.

Concentrates are quite toxic, so after treatment you will have to leave the house for several hours to consolidate the effect and then ventilate.

Fighting methods

Many years of struggle against fleas have helped to develop many very effective antidotes against them. One of the most commonly used methods is thorough and total washing of items that have or may contain parasites. The main thing in this matter is not to lose sight of a single thing, including every single one:

• Sheets.
• Pillowcases.
• Duvet covers.
• Blankets, etc.

Naturally, you need to carefully examine mattresses, carpets, rugs, especially on the floor, which are often also the permanent habitat of fleas. Soft toys, furniture upholstery, and other things that pets constantly or occasionally encounter should be subjected to the same thorough inspection, dry or wet cleaning.

An important method of combating them is, in addition, periodic wet cleaning of floors. In this case, special attention should be paid to hard-to-reach places in corners, baseboards, areas under cabinets, bedside tables, and other furniture. It is also necessary to decisively get rid of old things that have completely served their purpose, so as not to turn your home into a warehouse, where all conditions for fleas will inevitably be created. This is especially true for untidy mattresses, pillows, blankets and other bedding - they must be thrown into the trash without regret. In the same way, you need to get rid of old clothes and outdoor shoes, which may well be a breeding ground for fleas.

It must be borne in mind that the destruction of fleas in an apartment or house should not be limited to these methods alone. A very important point is the treatment of domestic cats or dogs, since without this it will not be possible to completely get rid of parasites. For this purpose, it is recommended to use special anti-flea products - shampoos, sprays, drops, special hard combs, etc. Please note that you must carefully read their instructions so that the use of such insecticides and other products does not harm the health of your pets. But more about this in the following sections.

Special preparations and mechanical methods

The modern market is overflowing with special domestic and foreign drugs to combat fleas. However, unfortunately, not all of them are high-quality and effective. Some of these drugs do not provide the required benefits, making their purchase a waste of money. Therefore, when thinking about how to remove fleas from the house, it is advisable to consult with specialists and experts in this matter, receiving a variety of objective information. You should act in the same balanced way before purchasing a flea remedy in an apartment or house, remembering the market truth: a good remedy may not be cheap.

Among the most popular anti-flea products, experts highlight the following:

• Pyrethrins. This is an effective type of natural insecticide that causes paralysis in insects and their subsequent death. It is important that it is safe for the health of pets and humans, which is why it can be used without any fear.
• Pyrethroids. They are synthetic pesticides - similar to pyrethrins, but with a stronger effect. Their use involves removing animals from the premises to eliminate the effect on their nervous system.
• Nitenpyram. This product is also absolutely safe for use, does not affect the health of animals and humans, and deals with parasites very quickly - in just one hour. However, flea poisoning in the house must be done carefully, isolating the animals to prevent them from being accidentally eaten.
• Selamectin. It is a type of effective semi-synthetic flea remedy, but it is advisable not to use it on small cats or dogs, as well as on weakened animals.
• Fipronil – for treating the hair of dogs and cats. All kinds of sprays, dichlorvos, chlorophos, powders (for example, pyrethrum and phenaxin) and other means are also used, but many of them are unsafe for the health of animals and humans.

Traditional methods

Original and also very effective means of fighting fleas are used in traditional medicine. It is traditional to treat an apartment for fleas using various plants that have anti-flea properties. These are, for example, wormwood, which has a sharp, flea-repellent odor, Persian chamomile, which contains pyrethrins, as well as tinctures of mint, wormwood, tansy, eucalyptus, pine sawdust, etc. Many housewives successfully use baking soda, rubbing in its mixture with salt overnight in carpets, kerosene solutions, etc.

What to do if there are fleas in the bed?

Fleas, unlike bed bugs, prefer to concentrate on the floor rather than on the beds. But if a cat or dog living in the house is not averse to taking a nap in a comfortable master’s bed, then the parasite can gain a foothold at a height unattainable for it.

To get rid of fleas in the bed, the first thing you need to do is wash all the bedding, choosing a mode with the highest possible temperature. The parasite is afraid of high temperatures, so blankets, pillows and mattresses should be heat treated with a steam generator. It would also be a good idea to apply insecticides to the latter to kill the larvae and eggs.

Steam generator treatment

Rugs near the bed must be thoroughly vacuumed, or better yet, knocked out. From now on, pets should not be allowed to sleep in bed. In addition to fleas, pets can bring other equally dangerous blood-sucking insects into their bed, such as bedbugs.

Where can insects come from in an apartment?

“From cats, dogs, hamsters and other living creatures!” - readers will hasten to answer. But in fact, they can start for completely different reasons. There are many more ways for fleas to enter the house:

• from the basement (insects can cover long distances due to their jumping ability);
• from the street onto a person's shoes;
• from neighbors.

Fleas are very mobile insects, so they can be carried into the house even on shoes

Due to the fact that fleas are very prolific, treating one apartment is sometimes not enough to fully combat parasites. It is necessary to poison uninvited guests throughout the house. It is especially important to thoroughly clean your basement.

The lifespan of a female flea is 24 months. During this period, she manages to lay up to 500 eggs, which after 2–2.5 weeks turn into mobile larvae, and after another 2 weeks they become full-fledged bloodsuckers.