Why do I sometimes see fleas after treating my pets and my home?

It’s not unusual to see fleas for about 2-3 weeks after you’ve begun treating. This is because some fleas that were already developing in the pupal stage when you started to treat will emerge from their protective cocoons. These pupal or cocoon fleas, which can survive treatment with any product, take about 1 to 2 weeks to develop before emerging as adults. The good news is, as these fleas emerge from their cocoons, they will be killed by the products you’ve already applied to your home and pets. Re-treating your home in about 10-14 days should knock out the final generation of fleas.

What should I do with my pets to prepare?

Pets should receive professional flea treatments or be treated with a high-quality flea shampoo at the same time (or as close as possible) to when the house is treated, and kept out of the house until the products used inside the house are thoroughly dried. This is to prevent fleas in the house from re-infesting the pet, and vice-versa. As with all pesticides, be sure to read, understand, and follow the label instructions, including making sure that your kind of pet (dog, cat, etc.) is listed on the label.

Do I need to treat my whole house, even where my pet is not allowed?

It’s a good idea to treat all the carpeting and upholstery in your home at least one time. Flea eggs, the size of sand grains, are very rarely seen but easily spread by your pet. A female flea may lay as many as 40-50 eggs on your pet a day, which fall off into your pet’s environment. Your pet can deposit a large number of eggs just by being in any area of your home for a brief moment. In addition, the flea larvae that hatch out from these eggs can migrate for several feet into areas your pet may never have actually been.

Should non-carpeted areas, like wood or tiled floors, be treated with a premise product?

Treating wood floors, tile, linoleum and other smooth floorings/surfaces should not be necessary. Carpet and upholstery are the ideal environments for fleas in the home. We do recommend that you clean, mop, and vacuum all floors to remove any flea eggs that might have been deposited by your pet. Special attention should be paid to flooring underneath all furniture and other large objects, baseboards, as well as in closets, storage areas, garages, etc. The more hidden, undisturbed areas could harbor fleas and should be thoroughly cleaned to remove any pre-adult fleas that may be developing.

What about my beds and mattresses?

If your pets go on or near your bed, these areas can be hot spots for fleas. You can take care of this problem easily by machine washing with the hottest water the fabric can stand., or professionally cleaning all of your bedding. We do not recommend treating your mattress or box spring. Fleas do not burrow and will not infest the interior of the mattress or the box spring. If you are concerned that fleas may have gotten on an exposed mattress, vacuuming the mattress would be a good idea. Be sure to treat the area underneath and behind your bed, since it’s easy for flea eggs to fall from the bedding into surrounding areas. Often the fleas you think are in the bed are really coming from underneath or behind it.

How often should I vacuum my home when treating for fleas?

For best results, we recommend that you vacuum right before any home treatment, and frequently between treatments. The heat and vibration from the vacuum will stimulate adult fleas to emerge from pupal cocoons so they can be quickly killed when exposed to the treated carpeting. If you are still seeing fleas after your first home treatment, we recommend vacuuming every day if possible, or every other day, for about 2 weeks. Then treat your home one more time to kill off the last remaining generation of fleas.

Is it really necessary to wait a full 2 weeks before re-treating my home, even if I’m still seeing fleas now?

Even though it can be frustrating to see fleas, re-treating your home immediately will not solve the problem any faster. The best strategy is to wait 10-14 days. While your first treatment will kill existing flea eggs, flea larvae and adult fleas, new adult fleas already forming within protective cocoons will continue to emerge after treatment. It usually takes about one to two weeks for pupal fleas to mature and emerge from their cocoons. When you re-treat in two weeks time, you’ll be able to quickly kill the remaining population and bring your infestation under complete control.