Fleas in the carpet
Nobody should have to live with fleas.
One of our most common call-outs in the summer months is from families that have returned home from holiday, only to find that their carpets are literally crawling with fleas.
This happens because fleas have a particularly nasty ability to delay their development.
This means that the adults only hatch when they feel the vibration of a potential ‘meal’ walking around your home.
This can be a very unpleasant ‘welcome home’ present indeed.
First line of attack
You will need to treat your carpets with insecticide as soon as possible. The best way to do this is to call in a professional pest control contactor.
If you are going to do it yourself, you will need to purchase sufficient insecticide to treat all the affected areas. This normally means the whole house.
Vigorous vacuuming before treatment will suck up some of the fleas and give the insecticide the best chance of working. Be very diligent about following the instructions on storing and using insecticides.
Protect yourself
Remember that aerosols create a fine mist, which you cannot see and should not be breathing in. Take great care to follow instructions for protecting yourself. If you need large areas treated it makes sense to let a professional, with proper equipment, do the job.
Treat the source
Your next and most important step is to treat the source of the infection, which is normally your cat, with an appropriate product. Cats can be very sensitive to insecticides so never use the spray for your carpets, or designed for the dog, on the cat. Exposing your cat to the wrong insecticide can make him very ill.
You can get a suitable cat flea treatment from your vet.
Preventing a repeat performance
There are steps you can take to ensure that this infestation is not repeated. Put a note in your diary to de-flea your cat in early summer, repeating as the product instructs until the autumn.
A cat only has to pick up a couple of fleas from a neighbouring cat to start an infestation in your home. The persistent ‘spot-on’ type products you can buy for the cat are expensive, but they really do work.
The next best defence against fleas is intensive vacuuming, the sort your granny used to do. Getting up close and friendly with the skirting boards in every room, and making good use of your crevice tool once a week, will work wonders.
Don’t be embarrassed
Finally, people often wait until fleas get really bad before calling us, because they are embarrassed to have this problem. Please don’t worry, even the smartest homes get fleas.
If you are being bitten, especially around the ankles, or your cat is scratching more than usual, give her a quick once over and at the first sign of trouble, take action.
To find out more about fleas you can read our all about fleas page.
If you are worried about a flea problem, you can call us now on
