The article talks about where fleas come from and where they are located. How to make sure you don't get fleas. And how to eliminate them if they have already been noticed.
If fleas appear in your home, it is better not to waste time looking for a method to destroy them, but to immediately turn to the sanitary and epidemiological service for help.
Fleas are blood-sucking parasites that do not allow a person to rest properly. Since these creatures lead an inconspicuous lifestyle, many do not even realize that fleas live in their house.
Enemy specifics
Fleas multiply quickly and it is enough for one individual to appear so that in a short period of time there is a massive spread of blood-sucking insects. A flea can live alone for a long time, without a permanent place of residence in the form of skin.
The flea has a flattened body 5-7 mm long. There are many hairs and antennae on it, with the help of which it clings to skin and clothing. The color of fleas may vary in shade. It is usually maroon or black in color.
Fleas can jump to great heights. Three pairs of legs allow this trick to be performed. Sometimes jumps reach 2 meters in height.
Fleas leave bites on the body of animals and humans that cause severe itching. By biting, the flea sucks out blood, but before that it lets its saliva under the skin. It blocks blood clotting and the insect can feed without worrying that the blood will stop flowing. Such bites can provoke allergic reactions or even infection, since fleas are carriers of infectious diseases.
Why are fleas dangerous?
Blood-sucking insects are dangerous because they become carriers of serious diseases. Of particular concern are rat fleas, which during bites drink infected blood and then transmit the infection to subsequent victims. Shustriki can transport viral and infectious diseases:
They can cause particular harm to fragile children's bodies, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. Therefore, when parasites appear in an apartment, you should urgently take disinfestation measures.
Where do they come from?
Fleas in an apartment can appear from several sources:
- From pets.
- From common corridors, basement and entrance.
- From transport.
- From dysfunctional neighbors.
Pets can bring fleas into the house from outside. But today this is no longer the most common cause of insects. Most often, owners of cats and dogs promptly treat their pets for parasites. These can be collars, drops or sprays.
Public places are more dangerous. A flea can jump on clothes on a bus or subway. Fleas cling to long clothing and hide in folds and pockets. Driveways and corridors can be infested with fleas, so when entering an apartment, you should take off your outdoor shoes. Just like cockroaches, fleas can enter the house through ventilation hatches and any accessible cracks that are not visible to humans. Once in the apartment, they choose secluded places, these can be baseboards, the back walls of furniture and even the bed.
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Apartments with a bad reputation, where unscrupulous people live, are also considered a risk group. Usually in such housing there is an abundance of dirt and unpleasant odors, and as a result, cockroaches, fleas and other parasites too.
Features of flea control
Fleas are wingless blood-sucking insects that can reach sizes up to 5 mm. Their body is flattened on the sides and has numerous spines and bristles. It is thanks to them that they have the ability to cling to clothing, including animal fur.
Fleas can even live on poultry, such as parrots. They are often found in the interwing space. In addition, fleas are able to live in burrows and nest substrates. With the help of three pairs of legs they can make significant jumps, which gives them the ability to move very quickly.
- It is incredibly difficult to crush a flea; it has a special flattened structure and a small head.
- With the help of long and strong legs, she is able to perform jumps up to 50 cm long.
- An adult insect is very tenacious; it can easily live without food for several weeks..
- The flea is distinguished by its high fertility, which ensures their rapid spread. One female can lay over a thousand eggs. After emerging from the cocoon, the female can be fertilized almost immediately. At the same time, just one meeting with a male is enough for her to subsequently lay eggs throughout her life. But for laying she needs fresh blood, as a result of which she will look for a victim.
Are there fleas in the house?
The first evidence of the presence of insects will be bites. Small redness in the form of dots on the legs and arms indicate the presence of fleas in the apartment. The bites are closely spaced and very itchy. But, even without detecting obvious traces, you can conduct a series of experiments that will confirm or refute the proximity to fleas.
After collecting dust after cleaning, you need to dissolve it in water. If the liquid turns pink, it means there are fleas in the apartment. The color of the water is due to the fact that flea feces contain remnants of eaten blood.
Sweet water or honey will attract fleas. The container with honey can be left overnight on the floor. In the morning, trapped individuals will definitely be found in it. If the plate is clean, then there are no fleas in the house.
Main signs and habitats of fleas
Fleas do not live on their host. Snakes jump on humans, birds or animals only to search for food. Then they retreat back to their hiding places. Possible places where parasites settle:
If you cover the parasites' habitat with white sheets of paper and look at them after a while, it will not be difficult to notice the jumping insect. It looks like a small black dot that disappears when you try to get closer.
Fleas are very visible on a white background
A few individuals will likely go unnoticed. But if they begin to reproduce, the population will not be difficult to detect. A domestic cat or dog will be the first to fall under flea attacks. The pet will have a poor appetite and sleep will be disturbed. The animal will begin to itch frequently and chew out its fur.
In humans, the bites of brown parasites resemble mosquito bites: redness and itching are noted. Flea bites take longer to heal than mosquito bites and are localized mainly on the legs.
Children of Fauna
How to get rid
Pest control should begin immediately upon detection. Apartments and houses where there are large numbers of fleas are difficult to treat.
First of all, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of infection from animals. They need to be carefully examined and additionally treated with anti-flea drops or shampoos. During emergency measures, to prevent the animal from becoming infected again, it must be moved out of the apartment to relatives or friends.
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Next, you can start cleaning the apartment. She must be thorough. You need to vacuum and wash all secluded places and corners: cabinets, baseboards, crevices. Bed linen and curtains need to be washed. Carpets and any woven coverings should be taken outside and beaten. Washing should take place at high temperatures. All boxes and drawers with small items should be placed higher. House slippers also need to be thoroughly cleaned.
To effectively combat fleas, you can notify your neighbors so that they also take preventive measures. If parasites have settled in the basement of the house, then you need to contact the management company. They are obliged to send specialists who will process the basement and garbage chute.
After general cleaning, you can go to the hardware store. The modern market offers a huge selection of insect control products. You can trust the seller's advice or read reviews before purchasing. When using sprays, powders and gels against fleas, it is important to follow the instructions and precautions: wear gloves, face mask and closed windows.
The apartment must be treated in the absence of children and animals. A day is the period for which it is better to leave your home. Afterwards it is necessary to ventilate the apartment. After about 3 days, you can start wet cleaning again. A positive result will be visible from the flea corpses.
If the chosen remedy and the step-by-step scheme are carried out correctly, the fleas should disappear. This measure is not always effective. In this case, you need to contact specialized companies that disinfect apartments.
Often people never manage to get rid of fleas. They poison them, some time passes, and the parasites appear again. The reason is neighbors and flooded basements. There are cases when you have to change your place of residence. But such cases are extremely rare.
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What to do?
Two weeks for the egg to develop, a little more in the larval stage, and now, after quite a bit of time, an adult comes into life, which can live up to one and a half years. Although in practice, of course, they live for about two to three months, but these months will seem like an eternity until you figure out how to get them out.
These insects can be destroyed only by gradually implementing the following points:
- identification of places of accumulation;
- providing protection until absolute destruction;
- carrying out general cleaning and washing of things;
- insecticide treatment.
It doesn’t matter why fleas appeared at home, the main thing is to start exterminating them immediately and prevent their possible appearance again.
Traditional methods
In the fight against any problem, be it a disease or insects, there is always an alternative method called traditional recipes. They are time-tested, but you can never be 100% sure of their effectiveness. Still, it's worth a try.
Wormwood can help in the fight against fleas. The branches are laid out on shelves with shoes, in corners and near the front door. The method really works, fleas die from the smell of wormwood. The disadvantages include the specific aroma of the plant, which can irritate household members.
In the cold season, you can resort to freezing the apartment. Fleas do not like the cold, although they happily live in humid environments. That is why they often inhabit basement floors.
Tansy tincture, another enemy of fleas. After brewing tansy flowers with boiling water, you need to make a strong tincture. Use the resulting solution to wipe the baseboards, cracks and cabinet joints. The product acts as a repellent; the fleas will not die, but will leave the apartment.
Precautionary measures
To prevent the appearance of parasites, you need to clean your apartment more often and ventilate the rooms. Of course, these are general and familiar tips, but they really help. The condition of the house is also the responsibility and consciousness of the residents. The basement serves as a breeding ground for fleas. It is necessary to inform utility services more often and require disinfection of the basement and waste disposal chute, if it is located in the house.
It seems that parasites attacking residential premises are a thing of the past. In fact, the problem remains relevant today. Simple rules and tips will help you avoid an unpleasant neighborhood with fleas in your apartment.
Modern flea treatments - insecticides
There are also modern methods of flea control designed for self-treatment of an apartment at home. More and more people are recommending liquid products, because they are very easy to use, they are quite effective - dilute them in some water, spray them, ventilate them, and the fleas are gone. Another advantage of modern products is that they leave no smell in the apartment, at least after ventilation there is no smell left. Dichlorvos certainly stinks, but even this product is released with a pleasant floral aroma and no odor at all. It is recommended to wash clothes and bedding at high temperatures using powder. If it is not possible to wash some items or is prohibited by the manufacturer, you can disinfect them with a steam cleaner or a steam generator iron.
You should very well wash the upholstered furniture in the apartment, wash the carpets, rugs and disinfect them along with the floor. But if you choose caustic chemical sprays, you need to familiarize yourself with safe use techniques, because you or your loved ones and pets can get terrible poisoning.
But if you still decide to use them, then you need to follow safety rules. It is imperative to carry out the above-mentioned methods of combating these parasites with gloves, a respirator and goggles. Dichlorvos is a very good remedy and, as a rule, effective, but after it residents need to leave their home for several hours.
It is best to ventilate the room once a day, wash and change bedding, contact a special service at the first sign, if you have a pet, then it is better not to remove the flea collar from it, periodically take pillows and mattresses out into the sun and steam them with a household steamer .
The most famous and effective remedies for fleas in the apartment: Combat, Gett, Raptor, Biorin, Sinuzan, Chlorpirimark, Deltsid, Tsifoks and so on.
You can choose the one that suits you according to price and availability at your nearest store. Pre-read reviews of drugs on the Internet. Here are some of them:
Katya, Moscow
“Fleas appeared on the entire floor of the dorm, they brought wormwood from the park and spread it everywhere - to no avail! We ran to the hardware store, bought Combat SuperSpray for 450 rubles, but there was nothing else. There was just enough for all the rooms on the floor. Due to the slight but pungent smell, we had to evacuate outside. Two hours later they came and ventilated. The next day the fleas were gone. Vacuumed and washed the floors. Now it's clean and fleas don't bite. It’s still not clear why fleas appear in an almost empty room.”
Vitaly Semenovich, Samara
Spray Raptor just saved me on a business trip! They moved me into terrible conditions, I thought fleas would eat me. Well the supermarket had a selection of insect repellent sprays. In terms of price-quality ratio, I chose Raptor; Dichlorvos is too caustic, although cheaper. In general, the aerosol really destroyed all the fleas, a week has passed, I finally got some sleep, the bite marks are almost gone.
