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By Carnell McAlpine, Jr.

Special to The Lowndes Signal

Pullout quote: “I have a flea problem.  They are everywhere in my yard and now inside my house. How can I get rid of them?”

There are over 2,000 described species of fleas in the world. Only about a dozen adversely affect humans and their companion animals. In the U.S., the most common domestic flea is the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis.

Starting early and using an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach is the best way to control fleas. These methods incorporate all available control methods into a pest management program. Control methods include sanitation, exclusion and chemical techniques.

Start flea control programs no later than April if you have had a problem in the past or if you have seen a flea or two on your pets (or on yourself). Do not expect good flea control if you begin a control program in July or August when the flea populations have already exploded. You can do your own flea control or contract the services of a professional pest control operator. Veterinarians also have prescription treatments for flea control on pets.

The Importance of Flea Control

Besides the discomfort even one flea bite can cause people and pets, a more serious medical concern for people in the U.S. is infection by the dog tapeworm, Dipylidium caninum. The cat flea is an intermediate host of the tapeworm. An intermediate host carries the parasite from one primary host to another. The primary host of the dog tapeworm can be a cat, dog or even occasionally humans, if the infected flea is accidentally swallowed.

Adult fleas infected with the tapeworm are ingested by the pet during grooming, thereby infecting or reinfecting dogs and cats.

Fleas are infected when flea larvae ingest tapeworm eggs during the normal course of feeding. Tapeworm eggs are dropped from tapeworms that crawl out of the anus of infested dogs or cats. One study reported that 24% of dogs and 30% of cats carried the tapeworm. Another study reported that approximately 1.1% of the fleas are infected with tapeworm.

Flea Development, Life Cycle

Fleas are holometabolous (complete metamorphosis) insects having an egg, larval, pupal and adult stage much like a butterfly. In order for proper egg development, female fleas must ingest a blood meal from a host such as a cat or dog. Usually a flea cannot complete its life-cycle on human blood. Females lay eggs on the host. The eggs have smooth shells and are not stuck to the host, so they roll off into the host’s surroundings. Adult fleas that have taken a blood meal will excrete partially digested blood in their feces. The feces also falls off into the host’s surroundings along with the eggs. The emerging larvae feed on the adult feces which contains partially digested blood from the host. Larvae produce cocoons from debris in their surroundings making the pupae difficult to detect.

Fleas are most protected from traditional insecticides during the pupal stage. Fleas develop into adults and remain in their cocoons until conditions are conducive to successful reproduction. When conditions are right for successful reproduction, adult fleas emerge from the cocoons and begin the cycle again. One female cat flea can lay between 158 to 420 eggs in her lifetime. Some estimates are higher.

A Chemical Control Program

You should complete this control program in one day for maximum success.

1. Treat the pet by bathing it in a soapy bath or insecticidal shampoo containing carbaryl (Sevin), pyrethrins, or pyrethroids. Always follow the label directions. Also, clean and treat the pet’s bedding and resting areas. 
2. Vacuum the house thoroughly with a beater-bar brush before any insecticidal treatment. Vacuuming will pick up about 60% of the flea eggs and about 27% of the flea larvae. Also, some adult fleas as well as the partially digested blood which is the larval flea food source are picked up. Discard the vacuum bag outside immediately when done. 
3. Treat indoors with an insecticide registered for flea control. Be sure to follow all label directions. Concentrate on areas where the pet spends the most time such as bedding, rest areas, and runways. A repeat treatment after about 3 weeks may be necessary to control fleas that were still in the pupal stage when initial treatments were done. 
4. Treat outdoors especially where the pet rests. A repeat treatment after about 3 weeks may be necessary to control fleas that were still in the pupal stage when initial treatments were done.

Some common insecticides registered for use on fleas by homeowners are carbaryl (Sevin), (Dursban), and malathion. If the infestation is severe, consider using the services of a professional pest control operator to do steps 3 and 4. Professional pest control operators are licensed to use insecticides not available to homeowners and have the proper equipment to do a thorough treatment.

Carnell McAlpine, Jr. is an agent with the Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension System.