Flea Program

 In Bug Program
Name: Ctenocephalides felis aka the Cat Flea
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Siphonaptera

Habitat:Eggs loosely laid in the hair coat, drop out most anywhere especially where the host rests, sleeps or nests (rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, cat or dog boxes, kennels, sand boxes, etc.). Eggs hatch in two days to two weeks into larvae found indoors in floor cracks & crevices, along baseboards, under rug edges and in furniture or beds. Outdoor development occurs in sandy gravel soils (moist sand boxes, dirt crawlspace under the house, under shrubs, etc.) where the pet may rest or sleep. Sand and gravel are very suitable for larval development which is the reason fleas are erroneously called “sand fleas.” The most common area for these eggs to land and accumulate is deep in the fibers of carpets, cracks in the floors, and crevices in couches.

Food:
Their food consists of digested blood from adult flea feces, dead skin, hair, feathers, and other organic debris.

Method of Travel:
Although they are winged Crawl from host to host and they are one of the best jumpers around, a flea can jump vertically up to 7 inches (18 cm) and horizontally up to 13 inches (33 cm).[2]

Prevention:
Maintain lawns: This provides fewer hiding places and possible food sources for unwanted flea infested wildlife or rodents.

Regularly vacuum indoors, concentrating on areas where pets sleep, play or might otherwise transmit fleas to your floors and furniture – especially beneath furniture!

Remove nuisance animals that transmit fleas or ticks to your property and pets.A cat trap or raccoon trap
will be the correct size for most nuisance animals. Live rodent traps or pet safe rodent bait boxes can also be used to prevent or eliminate rats and mice from the area. Bait boxes provide a safer means for baiting outdoors (for rodents) but you should continue to monitor the area. Bait can be dropped by rodents that hoard food.

Control stray pets that are not leashed or penned.
Use some means to eliminate fleas from your pets.
Eliminate or control fleas in your lawn. Fleas will hitchhike into your home, using pets or people as their ride inside. Use the best flea control products available for preventing an outbreak before it happens.
Exterminating an existing infestation is more costly and time consuming than simply preventing fleas from becoming a problem in your home.

Steps to control:
Flea adults, larvae, or eggs can be controlled with insecticides.
Spray Knockdown Crawling Insect Killer in infested areas such as pet’s bed and resting quarters, nearby cracks and crevices, along and behind baseboards, windows and door frames, and localized areas of floor and floor coverings where these pests may be present. Remove old bedding after treatment. Insects must be contacted to be killed. Remove pets for one hour when spraying rooms.

Many fleas will be in the cocoon stage when you first treat your home. We recommend you do a follow-up treatment two weeks after the first treatment. This follow-up step is critical for flea removal.

Product to use:

Knockdown Crawling Insect Killer
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