Get prepared for fleas
As the weather warms up, here come the pests! Fleas start to emerge in May and cause trouble all the way up until November. Most people think that fleas are primarily a pet problem, but that's only half the story. While it's true that fleas need cats and dogs as a food source, they also hide in and around your house to cause an endless cycle of reinfestation.?
In this edition of Built to Protect, we’ll show you how to successfully keep your home flea-free. Also in this newsletter, get signed up to next week’s Dampness in Buildings CPD webinar.
Where do fleas come from?
In the wild, fleas live in humid and dark conditions. Flea-ridden animals drop eggs on long grass, in trees and bushes. Once hatched, Larvae consume adult flea droppings and non-viable eggs, which fall off host animals at the same time as the live eggs. Once strong enough, flea larvae weave cocoons around themselves to mature into adults.
Adult fleas remain in their cocoons until environmental conditions are humid enough. They detect movement and vibrations to figure out if suitable hosts are near. Remember this?—?it will come in useful later. Adult fleas can remain dormant inside their cocoons for up to 5 months if their surroundings are not conducive to life.?
Adult fleas can hitch rides on pets, clothes, backpacks and even shopping bags! They have incredible jumping power, they’re always on the lookout for a new host and worst of all, they’re very small. Even if you’re always alert, it’s easy for fleas to sneak into your home. The modern combination of central heating, a well-insulated home and a pet provides the perfect conditions for fleas to hatch.
Once inside the home, fleas can hide undetected almost anywhere. Eggs and dormant adults bide their time behind skirting boards, behind furniture or deep within your carpet.
How do I get rid of all the fleas in my home?
First things first, get out the vacuum cleaner. Remember how fleas hatch in response to vibrations? Well, vacuum cleaning works brilliantly to coax dormant adults out of their cocoons. They also open up carpet fibres to allow flea treatments to penetrate deeply to the bottom of the carpet. Once hatched, adult fleas instinctively seek out a new host.
At any given time, only 5% of an infestation is made up of adult fleas, with a whopping 50% of the population consisting of eggs. Flea eggs, pupae and pre-emerged adults in cocoons are naturally protected, which makes them more resilient than adult fleas to pest control measures. The more eggs that hatch prior to getting out the spray, smoke bombs or flea powder, the better your chances are of complete removal.
The vacuum cleaner is also a sure-fire way of physically removing eggs and pupae from your home. Always make sure you empty the vacuum cleaner into a black bag, firmly tie it, double-bag it for good measure and remove it from your home. Remember, fleas can jump out of an open bin!
Vacuum cleaning done. What's next?
It’s time to deal with house fleas once and for all. NOPE! Flea Killer Powder is registered with the Health and Safety Executive for use on pet bedding. Simply sprinkle the powder anywhere you suspect fleas with the ready-to-use puffer pack. Make sure you remove your pet from the area to be treated, then use it on soft furnishings, carpets, hard floors and skirting boards.?Once you’ve treated your home’s interior, don’t forget about outside! Keep fleas away by applying NOPE! Flea Killer Powder to the borders of your garden.
Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium extract powers NOPE! Flea Killer Powder. It’s a natural pesticide that has been popular for centuries due to its effectiveness. After 72 hours, it’s time to break out the vacuum cleaner again to clear away the deactivated powder and dead fleas.
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Part of an effective flea treatment strategy
The NOPE! Flea Killer range provides a comprehensive solution for fleas in the home environment.
Use NOPE! Flea Killer Powder to protect pet bedding, carpets, floors, other soft furnishings and on garden patios.?
NOPE! Flea Killer Spray provides powerful spot treatments for curtains, floors, window and door frames.?
For the ultimate assurance, NOPE! Insect Killer Smoke Bombs are a complete room treatment for all dry indoor areas: bedrooms, living rooms, spare rooms, lofts, garages, empty greenhouses and basements. Flush out the fleas you can't see with this non-staining smoke that also boasts 12 weeks of residual action.
NOPE! cares for your home while you care for your pet. As we get into flea season, here are some essential things you need to be doing to ensure they stay away:
Our next CPD webinar: Dampness in Buildings
Do you need to know more about dampness in buildings, but you’re not sure where to start?
Our Dampness in Buildings CPD webinar is the perfect primer for all things damp. Find out how to differentiate between rising damp, penetrating damp and damp caused by condensation. Learn how to develop an eagle eye for the possible symptoms of damp to ensure that you’re taking the right steps towards remediation. Discover the latest and greatest remediation techniques.
Thanks for reading this edition of Built to Protect. As always, we’d love to hear from you in the comments. Email us at [email protected] or phone us on 01403 210204 for customer service and technical advice. Expect the next edition on Wednesday, 22nd May.