Flea Control

Flea Exterminator | Flea Pest Control Company in MA

Waltham Pest Control provides flea treatment and prevention programs to home owners throughout Greater Boston Massachusetts. If you have a flea infestation or if you are unsure as to whether you have a flea problem in your home or with your pets, call Waltham Pest Control today and we will inspect your home and provide you with a detailed report of our findings.

If your home does indeed have a flea problem, we will outline the extent of the problem and our flea treatment procedure and cost.

Call Waltham Pest Control today for a free flea treatment estimate 781-893-2146.

About Fleas

Fleas are wingless insects (1/16 to 1/8-inch (1.5 to 3.3 mm) long) that are agile, usually dark colored (for example, the reddish-brown of the cat flea), with tube-like mouth-parts adapted to feeding on the blood of their hosts. Their legs are long, the hind pair well adapted for jumping: a flea can jump vertically up to 7 inches (18 cm) and horizontally up to 13 inches (33 cm).

Once the flea reaches adulthood, its primary goal is to find blood and then to reproduce. Adult fleas only have about a week to find food once they emerge, but after that they can survive two years to three years between meals. Their total life cycle can be as short as one year, but may be several years in ideal conditions. Female fleas can lay 5000 or more eggs over their life, allowing for phenomenal growth rates.

Fleas can settle in a person’s hair in less than ten minutes, causing soreness and itching. The itching associated with flea bites can be treated with anti-itch creams, usually antihistamines or hydrocortisone. Calamine lotion has been shown to be effective for itching.

Flea Identification

The flea body is hard, polished, and covered with many hairs and short spines directed backward, which also assist its movements on the host. The tough body is able to withstand great pressure, likely an adaptation to survive attempts to eliminate them by mashing or scratching. Even hard squeezing between the fingers is normally insufficient to kill a flea. It is possible to eliminate them by pressing individual fleas with adhesive tape or softened beeswax (or “cheese” wax) or by rolling a flea briskly between the fingers to disable it then crushing it between the fingernails. Fleas also can be drowned in water and may not survive direct contact with anti-flea pesticides.

Fleas are a nuisance to their hosts, causing an itching sensation which in turn may result in the host attempting to remove the pest by biting, pecking, scratching, etc. in the vicinity of the parasite. Fleas are not simply a source of annoyance, however. Some people and animals suffer allergic reactions to flea saliva resulting in rashes. Flea bites generally result in the formation of a slightly raised, swollen itching spot with a single puncture point at the center (similar to a mosquito bite). The bites often appear in clusters or lines of two bites, and can remain itchy and inflamed for up to several weeks afterwards. Fleas can also lead to hair loss as a result of frequent scratching and biting by the animal, and can cause anemia in extreme cases.

Flea Treatment

Waltham Pest Control implements an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solution. IPM is achieved by targeting fleas during at least two separate life stages. Since more than three quarters of a flea’s life is spent somewhere other than on the host animal, it is not adequate to treat only the host; it is important also to treat the host’s environment. Waltham Pest Control provides a complete flea pest control service to homeowners throughout Burlington, MA and the Greater Boston area.

Flea Treatment Preparation

  • Vacuum the whole house.
  • Clean out and vacuum under beds.
  • Empty out closets.
  • Strip bedding in wash in hot water.
  • Dryclean as much as possible, including kids toys.
  • Have your pets groomed and de-fleaed and pick up after your home is treated for fleas
Español