Flea Control

The pet and the house are one job

Most of a flea population is not on the animal. Eggs fall off wherever the pet sleeps and walks, and the larvae live down in carpet pile, in the gap between floorboards, and in the upholstery of whatever the pet sits on.

Treating the pet without treating the house leaves the larvae. Treating the house without treating the pet leaves a source that reinfests it. The two have to happen close together, and a vet handles the animal — no pest control treatment is applied to a pet.

Why vacuuming matters more than it sounds

Vacuuming lifts the pile so treatment reaches the larvae, removes a share of the eggs outright, and the vibration prompts pupae to emerge where the treatment can reach them. A pupa is the stage that survives almost everything, which is why fleas seem to come back a week after a treatment that appeared to work.

Vacuum before the visit and keep doing it daily for a couple of weeks after. Empty the canister outside.

What to say when you call

• Whether there is a pet, what kind, and what it is currently treated with.
• Where the pet sleeps and which rooms it uses.
• Where the bites are on people — ankles and lower legs is the usual pattern.
• Whether the home has carpet, hard floors, or both.