Introduction
There are hundreds of
different kinds of fleas but the cat flea is the one that causes the most
problems for pet owners in the Victoria area. Adult fleas are tiny, black,
wingless insects that bite animals and people to feed on their blood. The
bites can cause serious irritation and can transmit parasites and diseases.
Reactions to flea bites vary. Some people rarely notice flea
bites. Others react with extreme itchiness. Many cats and certain dogs are
symptomless; others react so badly that they lose hair in irritated areas
and may chew their skin raw.
Fleas are most common in the late summer and early fall but
can live indoors all year. Fleas usually get into houses after eggs that
have been laid on a pet fall off the animal and hatch indoors.
Flea eggs hatch into small, white, legless worms called
larvae. Larvae are seldom seen because of their small size and because they
tend to live deep in carpets where they feed on the droppings of adult
fleas. After the larvae have fed for 7 days or more, they spin a cocoon.
Inside their cocoons, the flea larvae gradually transform
into adult fleas. Adult fleas may remain inside the cocoons, sometimes for
many months, until an animal is present for them to bite.
After an adult flea comes out of its cocoon, it looks for a
warm-blooded animal to bite. Once on a dog or cat, fleas mate and begin
laying eggs. A female flea can lay over 200 eggs in her lifetime so it
doesn't take very long for a major flea problem to develop.
Control
Flea control requires treating both your pets as well as
your living areas with pesticides.
We also use flea Traps to monitor for the presence of fleas
and to trap them when a pesticide free treatment is desired.
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| Flea Trap with Captured Fleas |
Flea Trap Flyer |
Click
here
to find out how we control Fleas using an Integrated
Pest Management strategy.
To see some of the application and control equipment and materials we use to
manage insect and bug pests click here.
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If you need service
for controlling a
Flea
infestation,
call
us now.
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Thanks for visiting http://www.pestvictoria.com
PES Professional Ecological Services Ltd.
98-B Burnside Road West, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
V9A 1B5
Phone: (250) 383-2445
Fax: (250) 383-6775
e-mail: services@pestvictoria.com
We provide professional integrated pest
management (IPM) services, a high-tech form of pest control. We are called
professional pest managers, not exterminators or fumigators. We provide
pest management, not extermination or fumigation. Excluding pests before they
cause a pest offence is a good example of IPM at work.
If You Need Professional
Services from Your Pest Control and
Pest
Management Experts,
for pests in Greater Victoria, British Columbia (B.C. or BC), Canada
Contact Us Now!
© Copyright PES Professional Ecological Services Ltd.
February 2002
contact webmaster at: services@pestvictoria.com
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