Write a paragraph explaining the best way to control fleas.
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Answer:
Fleas are some of the most annoying pests to deal with. They’re small enough to get around easily and agile enough to be called acrobatic.
Fleas generally prefer four-legged hosts to humans. However, if your family pet has fleas, it’s likely that your yard, house, and furniture will be targeted next.
Itching is a telltale sign of a flea infestation. You may even spot the little jumpers. On average, fleas are 2.5 millimeters long, making them visible to the naked eye. Their strong legs allow them to jump as far as 13 inches in distance.
The life cycle of the flea depends on environmental conditions. Fleas flourish in warm climates. The ideal temperature range is 80 to 90°F (26 to 32 °C) with 70 percent humidity.
In these conditions, fleas have a life cycle of 18 to 21 days. If the weather isn’t ideal and there isn’t a host to feed on, flea larvae may remain dormant for months while waiting for better conditions to develop. On average, adult fleas live from several weeks to several months.
Explanation:
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Answer:
Ridding your home of fleas can be a daunting and costly endeavor. Unlike most household pests, fleas bite dogs and cats as well as people. The bites can cause intense itching and irritation, and a hypersensitive animal will often require veterinary assistance. Fleas can also transmit tapeworms and bacterial infections. The pests are highly prolific -- the biting adult stage might be living on the pet, in addition to hundreds or thousands of eggs, larvae, and pupae elsewhere in the home or yard. If early signs of fleas are ignored, infestations can quickly spiral out of control.
Fleas infest dogs and cats, and may also bite people.
Fig. 1: Fleas infest dogs and cats, and may also bite people.
Flea eradication requires treatment of pets, and oftentimes the premises. Your level of success will depend on how these treatments are performed. This publication will help you eliminate your flea problem and reduce the risk of future infestation.
Facts about Fleas
Fleas are common external parasites of both dogs and cats. The adults are ravenous blood-feeders, consuming up to 15 times their body weight in blood per day. Pets initially become infested when adult fleas occurring indoors or outdoors jump on the animal. With the ability to jump vertically up to about 6 inches, the adults can easily hitch a ride onto a passing dog or cat, or even the shoes and pant legs of a human. Pets acquire fleas from kennels, groomers, etc., or from stray dogs, cats or wildlife (especially opossums and raccoons) wandering through the yard. Contrary to popular belief, fleas seldom jump directly from one pet to another.
Close up of a cat flea
Fig. 2: Close up of a cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis), the most common flea infesting both dogs and cats.
Photo credit: Joyce Gross
Adult fleas spend most of their time on the dog or cat, not in the carpet. This is why treatment of the pet is an essential step in ridding a home of fleas. Within minutes of jumping onboard, fleas begin to feed. Digested blood expelled as feces appears as dark, pepper-like specs in the pet’s fur. Mating and subsequent egg laying occurs within 24 hours. All of the eggs (40-50 per day) are laid in the fur. However, the eggs soon fall off into carpeting, beneath the cushions of furniture, and wherever else the pet rests, sleeps, or spends time. When treating premises, thorough attention to these areas is crucial.
Flea feces appear as dark, pepper-like specs
Fig. 3: Flea feces appear as dark, pepper-like specs on the fur of the animal.
After hatching, the eggs develop into tiny, worm-like larvae that remain hidden beneath carpet fibers, furniture cushions, and other protected areas. The larvae feed mainly on the feces (dried blood) expelled by the adults which accumulates, along with the eggs, in areas where pets tend to rest or spend time. Before becoming adult fleas, larvae transform into pupae within a silk-like cocoon surrounded by bits of debris. Pupae remain inside the cocoon for 1 to 4 weeks. However, it might take longer for them to emerge if conditions become unfavorable, for example when a flea-infested home becomes vacant. The cocoon is also impervious to insecticides—another reason some fleas may persist for an extended period, even after the pet and home are treated.
Treatment of Pets
The traditional approach for battling fleas typically involved concurrent treatment of both the pet and the premises. Revolutionary new products for eliminating fleas on pets have led to rethinking this long held approach.
Several effective products are available for preventing and eliminating fleas on pets
Fig. 4: Several effective products are available for preventing and eliminating fleas on pets.
Products for treating dogs and cats are available in the form of oral medications and topical “spot-on” solutions, as well as sprays, collars, and shampoos. Be sure to read the product label to ensure you are purchasing the correct formulation and dosage for your pet. Some flea products should not be used on cats, while others are not approved for puppies and kittens. Some flea treatments also control ticks and internal parasites such as heartworms. It is usually prudent to consult a veterinarian for the most appropriate treatment for your pet. Veterinarians also tend to know which products are performing well in their particular locale. Products that worked well in the past may be less effective due to flea populations developing resistance to the insecticide—similar to how bacteria become resistant to some antibiotics. Never treat pets with the same products used to treat carpeting or the yard.
The most effective flea medications today tend to be in the form of oral/chewable tablets or topically applied liquids known as spot-ons. Different dosages are available based on the weight of the anima