How to get rid of Fleas

If you do find fleas in your home, you can eradicate them by

• Quarantine infested pets.
• Wash all; bedding, rugs, throws and textiles in soapy water. (This is known to kill the eggs, larvae, pupae and adults.)
• To pick up the eggs vacuum everything. This includes; furniture, carpets, cracks in the floor, bare floors, corners, behind doors, and anywhere else that dust collects. Post vacuuming, immediately dispose of the vacuum bag outside to prevent escaping of larvae.
• Remove larvae by having the carpet steam cleaned. the steam will kill every stage of flea except eggs). Make sure you warn the cleaners about the fleas and remove infested animals.

How to prevent Flea infestations

• Clean and vacuum frequently.
• Keep your yard clean of garbage and pet droppings.
• Protect pets by keeping them on a leash when outside, give them lots of baths, give them monthly flea and tick treatments and take them to the vet at least once a year to make sure they haven’t been infested.

If you see Fleas around your home or on your pets  you might have a Flea infestation. To successfully get rid of Fleas contact Knockout Pest Control by Rentokil for a pest inspection.

You can call our service team on 1300 858 140. or you can send us an email by using the Contact Form by clicking here >

What are 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), making the flea one of the best jumpers of all known animals (relative to body size), second only to the froghopper.

Their bodies are laterally compressed, permitting easy movement through the hairs or feathers on the host’s body (or in the case of humans, under clothing). 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. However, rolling them back and forth a dozen times disables their legs, resulting in death.

Facts about Fleas

• Fleas are a type of wingless parasite that feeds off the blood of humans and animals such as dogs and cats.
• A flea bite is red, swollen and intensely itchy, and secondary infections caused by scratching are common.
• Treatment options include anaesthetic creams and icepacks to reduce the swelling.

Types of Fleas

• Cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis)\
• Dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis)
• Human flea (Pulex irritans)
• Moorhen flea (Dasypsyllus gallinulae)
• Northern rat flea (Nosopsyllus fasciatus)
• Oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis)

Signs of Fleas

Fleas have many signs, Visit our Signs of Crawling Insects page for more information here >