Eradicate Those Fleas with a Good Flea Bomb!

Fleas are miniscule insects that can jump 13 inches horizontally and 7 inches vertically. This allows them to jump up onto animals of all different sizes as well as humans. Fleas can be responsible for spreading disease through humans and even be an intermediate host for tapeworms. Yuck!

Fleas have the ability to deposit their eggs on the bodies of their host. Sometimes these eggs will fall off into carpets and beds. They can exist on your couch and beds for long periods of time. A female flea can lay over 2,000 eggs over her lifetime.

Fleas also like to lay their eggs in furniture and carpets as well as curtains. In order to hatch, the eggs need to have around 70% to 75% relative humidity. Once they are larva, they still need around 50% humidity in order to survive. In areas that have higher humidity, roughly 20% of the eggs will become adult fleas. In areas that are drier, this number is only around 5%.

Fleas prefer younger puppies, kittens, and dogs that have weaker immune systems.

Flea Detection

There are a few different ways to detect fleas. One way is to have an animal stand on a white sheet or large piece of white paper. A flea comb can be used to remove the fleas from the animal. When the fleas land on the white surface, they can be captured. It is also important to look for flea dirt on your pet. With most animals, whenever a flea bites them, it will leave a small red spot.

I’ve also heard that it is possible to use a little Vaseline in the flea comb while combing for fleas. The fleas will get stuck in the Vaseline and won’t be able to escape.
If you mash a flea after he has been sucking blood, a reddish brown color will appear.

Fortunately for us humans, fleas seem to like the blood of pets better than ours. Therefore fleas will usually not move to humans until it becomes too dangerous for them to stay on an animal.

The Flea Bomb to the Rescue

One popular way of getting rid of a flea problem in your home is to use a flea bomb. These bombs are readily available and there are a wide range of manufacturers. The good news is that this makes flea bombs an inexpensive way of handling your flea problem inside your home.

Since up to 90% of the fleas in your home can actually be living off of your pet, a flea bomb can be effective. They come in different sized containers and have different strengths. Please keep in mind that flea bombs only protect your animal when they’re inside your home. Once your animal leaves the confines of your house, the fleas will be able to jump on them once again.

It is a good idea to vacuum your home very well before you start the spray. This will collect a lot of the fleas in the vacuum bag or cup depending upon your type of vacuum cleaner. Make sure you properly dispose of the fleas so they can not re-infest your house.

Flea bombs typically have two different methods of killing fleas. The first method kills on contact and the second method will keep the eggs of the fleas from developing. This helps break the lifecycle of the fleas for around 180 days. Be careful that flea bombs do not come in contact with fire as many of them are highly flammable.

Make sure to cover any food preparation surfaces before using a flea bomb. It is recommended that you clean all of your bedding and wash your clothes that are exposed to the spray after the bombing process.

Try to give your house around 5 to 7 hours depending upon the type of the flea bomb before returning. This will give the chemical more time to work.

Make sure you follow the directions on the container whenever deploying a flea bomb.