Flea control - environmental treatment strategies

Environmental flea control is arguably the most important factor in the success of your flea control program. The fleas on the pet make up only 5% of the total flea population, with the rest existing in the environment. These are present as eggs, larvae and pre-emerged adults. Given that 95% of the flea population are in the environment, it makes sense to have a well thought out plan to target and get rid of the fleas living off the pet. Here are the five main steps you will need to cover in your environmental cleaning strategy:

1. List everywhere your pet has been
   Fleas eggs are not sticky, and fall off your pet very soon after they have been laid. This means that eggs tend to accumulate in areas where your pet tends to rest and spend most of its time. Does your pet like to sleep on (or in) your bed? If so then it is very likely you will be sharing your bed with flea eggs and larvae as well. Once you have a list of the most common hideouts of your pet, you can move on to decontaminating the environment
   
   
2. Mechanical cleaning
   One of the most effective methods of environmental flea control is to vacuum your house thoroughly and often. Vacuuming will suck up eggs and larvae, and stimulate pre-emerged adults to exit the cocoon. This is a good thing. If not stimulated, these can hang around for up to 140 days, greatly prolonging the time taken to clean up the environment.
   
   Steam cleaning is another great method to kill fleas in the environment as the high temperature basically cooks them.
   
   Don't forget to vacuum and clean your sofa or lounge chair as well. Remember, anywhere your pet has been needs to be cleaned.
   
   
3. Washing bedding
   To get rid of the fleas and larvae in your pet's bedding, you need to wash them in hot soapy water. The best thing to do is soak all of your pet's bedding in hot (60 degrees Celsius or higher) water for at least 10 minutes, then run them through the hot cycle on your washing machine (preferably by themselves, but if you want dead flea larvae mixed in with your clothes that is up to you)
   
   
4. Block off problem areas
   Fleas just love warm, shady, moist areas. If your pet has access to these kinds of areas it will make your flea control program a lot more difficult! The best thing is to deny access to these areas by fencing them off.
   
   
5. Chemical sprays and foggers
   Setting off a flea bomb in your house certainly looks impressive. That chemical fog permeating the air surely must kill fleas pretty effectively, right? If only it were so simple. Because flea larvae will crawl to the bottom of carpet, under sofas and into cracks and crevices, the chemicals often don't reach them in effective quantities. If you do want to use chemical treatment, make sure you have vacuumed the area quite thoroughly before you start.

Poor control of fleas in the environment is one of the most common reasons that flea treatment fails. Don't fall into the trap of ignoring the environment and only treating your pet. Follow these five strategies and you will be well on your way to achieving good flea control.