What Nashville Property Owners Ought To Know About Flea Control
If you had the power to jump high into the air, what would you do with it? Would you change lightbulbs around your home without needing a chair? Would you help old ladies get their cats out of trees? Maybe you’re scared of heights and wouldn’t jump at all. We can’t speak for what you would do with the power to jump incredibly high, but we can tell you what fleas do with this ability. If fleas were the size of a human, they could theoretically jump over buildings, or at least 60 times their height. Out in nature, and occasionally inside homes, fleas use this ability to leap onto hosts. Once they find a viable place to dine, they will feed on blood to their heart’s content. If you don’t know much about fleas but would like to keep them off your Nashville property, here is everything you ought to know about flea control.
Identifying Fleas
Fleas are 1/12 to ⅙ of an inch long. They are parasitic insects that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals. These small pests prefer to live on wildlife, specifically, ones with fur as this allows them to hide, feed, and lay eggs out of sight. If fleas are not able to live on an animal, they may decide to feed on humans. Inside homes, fleas are active at night when people are asleep. This makes feeding fairly easy.
Although fleas are incredible jumpers, they aren’t skilled in any other form of travel. They don’t have wings to fly, they can’t sprint like centipedes, and swimming is certainly not their strong suit. These small pests will, however, transfer from one furry creature to another once they make physical contact.
Problems Associated With Fleas
We all know that fleas are a nuisance for pets. Their bites cause our furry friends to scratch uncontrollably. Once a flea problem gets out of hand, it's uncomfortable for our pets resulting in whining dogs and irritable cats. The question is, are fleas as annoying for homeowners as they are for pets? Absolutely! Not only are flea infestations nearly impossible to control, but their bites are just as uncomfortable to people as they are to animals.
Fleas are also capable of spreading diseases to both humans and pets. Historically, they were responsible for serious plagues. Today, they continue to spread murine typhus, tungiasis, tularemia, bartonellosis, and tapeworm.
How To Prevent Fleas
There are many ways a flea infestation starts. Most often, a pet or wild animal will bring fleas into a home with them. To prevent your pets from bringing fleas inside, we recommend talking to your veterinarian. They will suggest either a collar or other method to repel ticks and fleas while your pet is exploring the outdoors.
If you have other wildlife creatures finding their way indoors, they will also bring fleas inside with them. To prevent these creatures from getting inside, we recommend exercising the following measures to seal entry points into your home:
Check window and door screens, and make sure they are in good working order.
Fill in gaps, cracks, and holes in your home’s exterior foundation using wire mesh and a caulking gun.
Repair any larger damage to your home’s exterior that may allow pests to get inside
Keep unscreened doors and windows closed as much as possible.
In addition to these measures, deter wildlife from your property by keeping your landscaping well maintained, picking up fallen fruit from your yard, making sure your trashcans have tight-fitting lids, and cleaning up thoroughly after outdoor gatherings.
If you're looking for help preventing or eliminating fleas or other unwanted pests from your Nashville home, reach out to the experts at Urbanex. Our technicians are trained with advanced pest control methods and equipped with industry-leading products designed to handle any pest.
Call our team today to find your swift solution to all of your pest problems.
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