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In the past, it was absolutely necessary to treat flea infestations by using
flea sprays, shampoos or dips on the pet and also treating the premises and
environment with residual pesticides, along with frequent, thorough vacuuming;
or resorting to professional pest control companies. In recent years, the
development of oral and topical insecticides with long-lasting residual effects
has led to a change in methods, and in most situations, flea control has become
much easier. Products are now available that can be applied directly to the
pet’s skin, or can be given in tablet form or by injection; most of these
products are given on a monthly basis during ‘flea season’, which varies
depending on the local climate. In areas that experience killing frosts and snow
throughout the fall and winter, fleas are primarily problems during the late
spring, summer, and early fall. In areas that have warmer temperatures
throughout the year, ‘flea season’ can last all year round.
It is important to know about flea biology and the flea life cycle in order
to use these products effectively, keeping fleas under control and preventing
infestations, either on the pet or in the environment. The flea, like many
insects, has 4 stages to its life cycle – the egg, the larva, the pupa, and the
adult. Only the adult flea lives on its host animal; the other 3 stages of the
flea life cycle develop within the environment of the pet’s home. Under normal
circumstances, it takes between 3 and 8 weeks for a flea to go from egg to adult
that is capable of mating and reproducing. However, pupal fleas can remain
dormant for up to 9 months before emerging as adults. An external protective
‘shell’ or covering protects both flea eggs and pupae from the outside
environment. After emerging from the pupa, the adult flea will jump onto an
animal to feed on its blood, a step that is vital to flea reproduction. Adult
fleas become capable of reproducing after 24 hours, and the females can begin to
lay eggs after 2 days. Fleas in the environment may come from other dogs or
cats, or from urban wildlife.
Products that are intended for use directly on the pet are either
‘adulticides’, or contact insecticides that kill adult fleas, or ‘ovicides’,
chemicals that prevent the eggs from completing their maturation to larvae. The
ovicidal chemicals are ingested when the adult flea bites a treated pet, and the
female flea passes the chemicals into the eggs before they are laid. Topical
adulticides that are used on a monthly basis will kill the adult fleas within 24
hours; few fleas are killed instantly. Since it takes newly emerged (and hungry)
fleas more than a day to lay eggs, the first application of one of these
products will dramatically reduce the number of eggs released into the
environment. However, the speed at which the feeding fleas are killed slows
down during the 3rd and 4th weeks after application as the level of insecticide
on the pet decreases. Thus, if a flea infestation is significant, it is possible
for a few fleas to successfully reproduce prior to the next application of the
product. Ovicidal products rarely kill the adult fleas, instead sterilizing them
and breaking the flea life cycle; the adult fleas naturally die after a few
weeks.
With both of these types of flea control products, the goal is to eliminate
the flea problem at the ‘host level’, without the need for treating the premises
or environment. Regardless of which type of flea control product used, it is
reasonable to expect that it will take from one to two months to eliminate a
flea infestation under optimal circumstances.
For most of us, it is therefore preferable to prevent fleas from becoming
established in our environment. This is easily accomplished by using a monthly
flea control product during the entire flea season, starting as soon as the
weather becomes warm enough to support outdoor flea populations. By starting a
flea control program proactively, the occasional flea that your pet picks up
outdoors will be quickly eliminated. This is definitely better than waiting
until our furry companions become infested and then having to start a “reactive”
control program that could take months to be
successful.
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