The easiest way to deal with fleas on your pet is to prevent your pet from becoming a hospitable host. We recommend using flea prevention year round. We live in an area where weather is unpredictable which is beneficial for the flea (see Part 1, The Flea Life Cycle). The life cycle can be completed in as little as 21 days or can last for several months. The breakdown of the distribution of the life stages of the flea on your pet and in the environment is as follows:

Eggs 50 %
Larvae 35%
Pupae 10%
Fleas 5%

So, for every 5 fleas on your pet, there are 95 potential fleas waiting to jump on your pet.

Prevention
Using a product that kills adult fleas and/or stops the eggs that are laid from developing past the egg stage is the primary way to prevent your pet from becoming a welcoming host to the flea. Regular use of a product that contains an adulticide to kill adult fleas and Insect Growth Regulators (IGR) which stop the flea eggs from developing any further is the best way to prevent fleas from infesting your pet and your pet’s environment. There are a number of different products available that can be tailored specifically according to your pet’s lifestyle.

Eradication
If your pet already has fleas, with patience and regular use of flea prevention products you can conquer the flea. If you are seeing fleas on your pet, there are eggs, larvae and pupae in your pet’s environment. Fleas are not transmitted from pet to pet but are picked up by your pet from the environment. The fleas you see on your pet or in your house are from flea eggs that were laid 3 to 8 weeks before and dropped off of your pet (or another animal outside) to continue their development.

All pets in the house need to be treated for fleas, including cats that do not go outdoors, in order to eradicate fleas. Monthly treatment of all pets will need to be done for several months in order to rid the environment of newly emerging fleas. Indoor areas where larvae hide can be spot treated. Outdoor areas where flea larvae hide can also be treated. The larvae like dark, sheltered areas so these areas in your yard and home can be treated.

Eradication Program
1. Treat all pets in home with flea product containing an adulticide and IGR. 2. Wash all pets’ bedding in hot water to help rid of eggs, larvae and pupae. 3. Vacuum carpeted areas and upholstery where pets like to rest to remove eggs, larvae and pupae. Dispose of vacuum bag. 4. Spot treat areas in house and yard if needed. If there is a heavy flea infestation, professional pest services may be needed to treat the house. 5. Continue treating all pets monthly to kill newly emerging fleas. We recommend using monthly prevention year round.

This Flea Product Is Not Working
Using monthly flea prevention does not mean that you will not see any fleas on your pet. The adulticide in these products does not kill fleas immediately. Some fleas may die within a few minutes, but some may live for 6 to 12 hours. Because it takes about 24 hours for egg production to begin, the fleas are killed before eggs are produced. If the product has only IGR, adult fleas will not be killed, but any eggs that are laid on your pet will be stopped from developing. Most flea products have little to no flea repellency so you may find fleas on your pet that are being picked up in the house as previously laid eggs develop. Your pet may also pick up new fleas while outdoors.

The goal of flea control is to treat all stages of flea development and break the life cycle on your pet and in the pet’s environment. It can take 3 to 8 weeks (or longer in some cases) to eliminate fleas. During this period, the eggs, larvae and pupae already present will continue to develop and adults fleas will continue to emerge. As these fleas jump onto your pet, most will be killed by residual adulticide in the product if the product contains it. Any fleas that survive the adulticide will lay eggs that are not viable. By combining the adulticide with the IGR, the flea population can be driven to extinction.

Flea eradication is possible, but it will take persistence and patience.