Fleas

bed bug flea by Bed Bugs Limited of London

Although we specialise only in bedbugs we occasionally encounter other issues, often when general pest control companies have failed to identify the source of the problem.Sometimes this has been linked toa lone flea brought into the home from outside.

A lot of people incorrectly assume no pets = no risk of fleas but experience has taught us this is not the case.In summer a picnic in the park can bring an unwanted guest home, likewise a walk on a path frequented by cats, dogs or foxes.

Rarely is a flea issue without animals serious enough to warrant or justify chemical treatment and in most cases the protocol below will resolve light cases within a few hours.

You don’t have to have pets to have fleas.

You cant tell the difference between bedbug bites and flea bites.

Fleas are more likely to bite the lower parts of the body and less likely to bite exposed skin.

You can have fleas in homes with wooden floors (they just find it harder to get around.)

If you have a pet rotate its brand of flea treatment every 2 applications to avoid resistance.

Plug in flea traps can be effective but for obvious reasons do not use anything with an open flame to attract fleas.

Normally unless its literally hopping alive with fleas I would simply suggest using “Shake n’ Vac” [UK powdered carpet freshener marketed by SC Johnson] or a fine powder such as baking soda. The way it is used is as follows, treat the cat with flea treatment. Remove pets and anyone who may have dust issues from the home and sprinkle the dust over the floor so that it has a fine but even coating making sure that you read the instructions and comply with the manufacturers guidelines.

Then take a torch or flashlight and zig-zag the beam across the floors covering all areas.The natural behaviour of fleas to a change in light and dark is to jump, in which case they will become coated in the powder and immobilised.

Leave the property alone for 1 hour then repeat the use of the flashlight and wait 15 minutes. Then simply clean the dust up with a vacuum cleaner and use a plug in flea trap for ongoing monitoring if needed.

Its an incredibly efficient way to physically remove fleas from an area as it relies purely on their physical removal rather than chemical action and as such you will never need to worry about resistance to chemicals and as a bonus your carpet and floors will be a lot cleaner.

We regret that we can offer no technical support on this application and respectfully ask that if you find this information useful please make a small donation to a registered Cancer charity as a way of saying thanks.