Suppose you’ve ever had the pleasure of owning a fuzzy companion such as cats or dogs. In that case, there’s a good chance you’ve struggled with a flea infestation at least once in your lifetime. Fleas can be a pain to deal with, especially if your Jacksonville home is completely overrun with them.
Still, they’re more than just microscopic itch-inducing nuisances. These pests can be a dangerous addition to your household, so if you don’t know effective flea control and the best way to get rid of fleas, it might be time to learn more about it.
Most Common Home-Infesting Fleas In Jacksonville & How They Get Around
There are over 2,500 different types of fleas globally, which may seem like a daunting number until you realize there’s only a handful of species that regularly infest homes in North America. The most common species that infests Jacksonville homes are the cat flea and, with their size and color, can be incredibly difficult to detect early on in an infestation. They’re dark brown to black with flat, oval-shaped bodies, powerful back legs and can grow up to 1/4 of an inch long, but more commonly range between 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch.
Fleas are wingless insects, which makes their range of mobility and travel fairly limited, but they make up for this discrepancy with the hosts they choose. As parasites, fleas require blood meals to survive and procreate, so in nature, they can select all kinds of different wildlife to feed on:
- Raccoons
- Squirrels
- Birds
- Rats
- Mice
- Deer
- Wolves
- Coyotes
- Wild/stray cats and dogs
Flea Prevention Tips & Why It’s Important For Your Jacksonville Home
There might not be many different types of fleas that infest Jacksonville homes, but the cat flea is still a dangerous pest to deal with. Given the kinds of hosts they’re accustomed to feeding on, fleas regularly carry and transmit all sorts of diseases and intestinal worms, and a bad enough infestation can cause anemia in humans and pets.
It’s not easy to get rid of fleas once they’ve infested, but with the right precautions, you may be able to prevent them from ever happening:
- Tight-fitting lids on all indoor and outdoor trash cans – these will deter rodents and wildlife from rummaging through your rubbish.
- Keep your lawn neat and tidy from lawn clippings, leaf and mulch piles, branches, twigs, and other debris – this gives wildlife fewer places to nest and hide.
- Fill in any ground holes around your property – this makes it more difficult for rodents to nest underground.
- Seal up any potential entry points around the exterior of your home, from roof to foundation, to deter rodents from getting inside.
- Maintain a regularly scheduled flea and tick treatment plan for your pets.
- Sweep, mop, and vacuum regularly.
- Wipe down counters and eating areas daily.
- Store all food, including pet food, in airtight containers.
How To Effectively Exterminate A Flea Infestation In Your Jacksonville Home
Trying to get rid of fleas on your own can be frustrating, time-consuming, expensive, and worst of all, ineffective. Fleas are tenacious pests with resistance to many pesticides, so your best option for effective and affordable flea control is with the help of our experts at Trad’s Pest Control.
We’ve been in business for over 40 years, so you can be sure that we only use the best pest control methods and products available. We know you’re itching for a solution, so get in contact with us today to start discussing your options for pest control in Jacksonville.