Spring and summer in North Texas means lots of fun in the sun but it also means an onslaught of warm-weather pests, like fleas, that can make the warmer months a lot less pleasant for you and your family. And while a flea infestation in McKinney, TX may not be high on your list of hairy, scary bug problems, you should know that fleas can be just as dangerous as some of their bigger, badder insect buddies. Here are 4 flea facts you need to know to understand just how big a deal they can be:
1 – Fleas Carry Diseases
For most people, a flea bite means a small, itchy bump – or several small, itchy bumps since fleas rarely travel alone. For other people who are allergic to fleas, the reaction can be more severe and can include difficulty breathing, dizziness, nausea, chest pain, and even anaphylactic shock. If that’s not enough of a reason to take a flea infestation in McKinney, TX seriously, you should know that fleas also carry and transmit diseases to humans. When fleas bite rodents infected with diseases, like tularemia, murine typhus and the plague, all of which can be fatal, they can carry those diseases on to you through a bite. In addition, fleas can also carry tapeworm eggs and, if the fleas are ingested by pets (or children), the tapeworm eggs are ingested as well.
2 – Fleas Are Hard To See
Fleas are very, very small – about an eighth of an inch long – and that makes them extremely hard to see, much less kill. If your pets are scratching themselves more than usual or you have little, itchy, red welts on your ankles, then there’s a good chance you have a flea problem. The easiest way to be sure is to part your pet’s fur to look for flea droppings, which look like tiny specks of dirt. Of course, you can also call a good pest control company to survey your home to look for fleas.
3 – Fleas Are Prodigious Breeders
Fleas are efficient breeders. Female fleas lay about 40 eggs per day and can produce over 5,000 eggs in their lifetimes. Each egg represents another breeding flea and that means that their numbers are hard to keep up with when you’re trying to eliminate them from your home or yard.
4 – Flea Elimination Is Not A DIY Project
You may not think that a flea infestation in McKinney, TX is important enough to call a pest control company for, but you’ll likely change your mind when your hardware store pest spray isn’t doing the job and you’re constantly scratching. Fleas live in your lawn, on your pets, in your carpeting, and on your furniture, which makes attacking them a fairly sizeable job that most DIYers aren’t up to. First, your vet must treat your pets for fleas; then your pest control company must treat both your home and your yard with products that are powerful enough to kill the fleas but that are safe for your family and your pets.
A professional pest control company has the experience to handle even the biggest flea infestation in McKinney, TX. At Stampede Pest Control, we can handle your flea problem. Give us a call at (713) 714-6970 or visit us online at stampedepestcontrol.com to make an appointment for a flea inspection.