Charlotte Flea Exterminator Services

Fall can be an especially bad time for flea infestations. They love the temperatures that North Carolina typically experiences during that season and, as people rake their leaves into piles, this can become an ideal haven of humidity for those fleas. They can rest in shady spots, which is where cats and dogs can go to get relief from the sun. A handful of fleas can then climb onto a pet, which transfers them into your home, including in rugs, blankets, upholstered furniture and more.

Note that homes can have cat fleas, even when they don’t have cats! This type of flea, although named after the feline, can pester both cats and dogs, while the dog flea mostly focuses on canines.

Fleas can go dormant during more extreme weather temperatures but these irritating pests can otherwise be present all year long. That’s true, in part, because of the resilience of the flea. They can live for two months without nourishment—which can then make them even more eager to feast on people and pets when the opportunity arises. 

Fleas are more than just a nuisance; they can be dangerous to not only your pet but your family as well. These tiny parasites can pass diseases that can affect both humans and animals.

Impact on pets: Because female fleas eat 15 times their body weight (in blood, remember), their presence can lead to low iron levels, even anemia, in cats and dogs, especially small animals with severe infestations. Additionally, fleas can carry tapeworm larvae, which can be ingested by pets during grooming. As your pet licks and cleans itself, they can swallow these fleas, transferring tapeworms into their body. These parasites then attach themselves to the walls of your pet’s intestines, growing as they feed off of the animal.

Dangerous Diseases Transmitted by Fleas

• Cat Scratch Fever: Fleas can carry cat scratch fever from an infected cat to humans. Symptoms in people include fever, exhaustion, headaches, loss of appetite, and swollen tender lymph nodes. Complications are rare, but they can be severe.
• Bubonic Plague: Fleas are infamous for spreading bubonic plague, the most common form of plague. It begins with symptoms similar to cat scratch fever but can quickly escalate. If left untreated, the bacteria can spread throughout the body, leading to septicemic plague, which can cause high fever, exhaustion, light-headedness, abdominal pain, shock, and organ failure. Bubonic plague cannot be passed from human to human.
• Pneumonic Plague: On the other hand, pneumonic plague can be passed to another human through respiratory droplets. This type of plague infects the lungs and is almost always fatal if not treated immediately. According to the CDC, symptoms include severe respiratory issues, high fever, and chest pain.

Regularly vacuum your carpets, sweep your floors, use upholstery attachments to clean your furniture, and wash bedding often. These actions can help to get rid of fleas in the house and prevent more eggs from being laid in the home.

Because fleas can ride into homes on the backs of rodents, keep rats and mice outdoors. Rodents can get into homes in spaces as tiny as a quarter, so close up openings, such as through caulking. Weatherstrip cracks around doors and windows and otherwise seal up entry points.

Outdoors, keep garbage cans tightly lidded with no food scraps available for rodents. Pick fruits and vegetables from trees and gardens before they fall down and have the chance to rot. If you feed any of your pets outside, bring in leftover food after they’re finished eating. 

Also, remove materials that rats and mice might use on your property to build outdoor nests. These can include tree limbs, woodpiles, fallen leaves, and so forth. Trim tree branches so that they’re at least 18 inches from your home and, if possible, keep shrubbery that far away, as well. Keep your yard well mown and also address standing water.

If you believe you have rats or mice in your home, Noosa can handle that for you through our rodent control services. Besides ridding your house of disease-carrying rodents, this can also significantly reduce the number of fleas coming inside.

Here are more flea prevention strategies, ones involving pet care. Regularly wash your pets’ bedding, along with any clothing items they may wear, their plush toys, and so forth. After they’ve been outside, check their coats for fleas and bathe them after they’ve played with other animals or show new signs of licking and/or scratching. Talk to your veterinarian about how to deal with any flea problems and ask about preventative strategies going forward.

Lastly, never use over-the-counter insect or flea bombs.  These are very dangerous.  The product lands and attaches to things you do not realize and can cause dermal exposure to the active ingredient.  Many of these flea bombs can be found readily at the local big box hardware store or other retail venues.  We recommend never use these products inside your home.