Preventing Flea Problems
Few common insect pests are so annoying as the flea. A flea infestation means itchy red bites, and plenty of them, for humans and pets alike, causing general misery in a household at large. Some areas of the country are much more prone to flea infestations than others, particularly places where it is humid much of the time.
Integrated pest management means recognizing that we will never be entirely free of pests such as the flea, and instead of focusing on toxic annihilating measures (which are often ineffective and sometimes dangerous to us) focusing on ways to control pest numbers so that they do not become a problem. In order to do this, it is important to have an understanding of the biology of certain pests, where they live, and how they breed. Once this knowledge is gained, it is possible to enact strategies that will prevent pest population from getting out of control. Here are some ways to control flea numbers.
Your pet
In most cases, an outdoor pet will be the catalyst that leads to a flea infestation. Dogs and cats, no matter how clean, will pick up fleas outside and bring them in. Obviously you can choose to keep your pets inside, but failing that here are some ways that you can keep the fleas limited.
* Keep your pet in certain areas. If you keep your dog or cat limited to certain rooms of the house, preferably those that humans do not frequent in their leisure time, you will keep the fleas confined as well. The best areas are those lined with linoleum or some other hard surface rather than carpet.
* Bathe your pet. Your pet can be kept free of fleas, or relatively so, with a regular bathing routine. Use a soft shampoo and a comb, and most times any fleas will come right off, or drown.
* Flea dips. If you have a pet that is adverse to a bath, an application of a flea dip may also work.
* Combing. Some pets refuse baths or dips, in which case you will have to go over them with a flea comb.
* Flea collars. These supposedly keep fleas off of animals, but have never really proven very effective. In addition they use a poison and don’t fit in well with the whole IPM approach.
Home and yard
If you think about your pet’s fur, you can tell where it is that fleas like to make their home. They are most comfortable in warm, somewhat humid conditions with lots of cover. Aside from your pet, there are a couple of places in your home where these conditions are met.
* The lawn. Keep the grass cut short and as dry as possible.
* The carpet. Vacuum regularly to get rid of both fleas and their food source. Make sure to change the vacuum bag, or you’re just creating a nest!