Attacking Fleas On All Fronts

The last two years have seen a marked drop in calls to pest control companies to control fleas. Usually, this occurrence is weather-related and confined to just a few areas. Fewer flea calls, however, were noticed across much of the U.S. One reason is likely the wide use of on-animal flea products, such as Program oral flea control tablets from Novartis Animal Health, or Advantage flea adulticide from Bayer Corp. Another incidence of a widespread lack of fleas this year surely will strengthen this argument.

Just because the numbers of flea calls have been fewer, however, doesn’t mean fleas have disappeared. Pest management service professionals are called upon to frequently control fleas, but not as often. Flea control is also undergoing some changes, particularly in the area of available premise-wide application products. As the number of cockroach and ant control products is increasing, the number of adulticide flea products is stagnant or decreasing.

In addition, concern is on the rise regarding the intensive nature of flea treatments — applying insecticides to every square-inch of carpeting in a house. Air quality is the primary issue, but others, such as children contacting treated carpets, are also of concern. As a result, regulatory and consumer-driven changes in the way flea treatments are performed are inevitable.

But customers still have flea problems, and just as many or more people own cats and/or dogs, so the potential for a big flea season is always present. How are the best results achieved using available products?

The basic components of an effective flea control program will likely stay the same. Fleas are carried in to homes by cats and dogs. The flea larvae develop in the substrates (e.g. carpeting, furniture, soil) where pets spend time. Flea populations increase, and fleas begin attacking people, thereby prompting them to call professionals. Flea control efforts must be directed at all points of flea activity and development: (1) the animal(s), (2) the inside premises, and (3) the outside.

Customer cooperation and education are crucial to success, as is applying the right amount of insecticide to the appropriate flea development sites within the structure.

CUSTOMER PREPARATION. One of the major reasons for flea control failures is the improper preparation of the premises. Prudent pest control companies provide a checklist to customers to ensure that all the steps needed to prepare the home are enacted.

Vacuuming is the most important preparation task and results in removing dirt and debris that bind with insecticides, opening up carpet fibers to permit better penetration, removing some adult fleas, and stimulating adult fleas to emerge from their cocoons where they will contact insecticide. The biggest mistake made by customers is failure to vacuum under beds, furniture, and in closets, especially when their pets spend time in those areas. Preparation of such areas must be stressed to the customer. Fleas in carpet heavily laden with dust and pet hair will not be controlled, no matter how much insecticide is applied.

Other items of preparation include picking all items off the floor, including under beds and in closets, mopping linoleum and tile floors, cleaning wood floors, vacuuming floor registers, and vacuuming furniture. Where pets are kept on concrete patios, garages or basements, the concrete floor will need to be swept/vacuumed and cleaned with soap and water. The customer must also arrange to be out of the house for several hours until the application has thoroughly dried. The amount of “drying” time varies with environmental conditions.

TREATMENT OF THE PET. Since the pet is the source of a flea infestation, it must be treated the same day the home is treated. In addition, the customer must be prepared to treat a pet whenever fleas are noticed on the animal. In most cases, customers prefer to initially have their veterinarian treat the pet(s), but in recent years many over-the-counter products have allowed customers to effectively treat their own pets.

On-animal products may contain residual insecticides, such as permethrin, insect growth regulators, such as methoprene (Petcor), or nonresidual contact insecticides, such as d-limonene and/or linalool (Demize Pump Spray). Customers must be advised to follow label directions and warned against treating the pet too often. If they have any questions regarding the product’s effects on the animal, they should contact the product’s manufacturer or their veterinarian.

A number of mistakes can be made when applying flea treatments, any of which generally result in an inadequate distribution of insecticide to target areas. Effective flea control occurs when the appropriate amount of insecticide reaches the site where flea adults and larvae live. If too little insecticide per square foot is applied, some fleas are likely not to be contacted and will survive. Likewise, failing to use good application procedures can create gaps in coverage.

Another important consideration is focusing too much on treating entire carpeted surfaces. Research has repeatedly shown that most flea larvae will be found within a foot or two of the area where the pets rest or sleep. But as of yet, research has not shown that targeted treatments result in total elimination of flea infestations. Therefore, time must be taken to identify the high-risk areas for fleas and to concentrate efforts at those sites. Label directions should still be followed.

It is this author’s opinion, however, that any follow-up treatments be directed solely at pet resting areas. It is not likely that fleas will pop up in other areas, so applying insecticides to all carpeted areas every few months is not necessary. Application of only IGRs is prudent because the IGR will prevent flea populations in the home and should limit sightings of fleas to animals only.

Aerosol flea control products that combine an adulticide with an IGR (e.g. Nylar Carpet Spray, Precor 2000) are ideal for spot-treatments to pet resting areas when flea infestations recur. IGRs are still the most important insecticide component in a flea treatment, and seldom can a pest control company be found that does not currently use them. In the past year, one IGR, fenoxycarb (Torus), has been removed from the market, and a new IGR, pyriproxyfen (Nylar, Archer) has been introduced.

Methoprene (Precor) still is the most widely used flea control IGR. IGRs will likely become more important in the future as the use of residual adulticides in premise-wide treatments is more closely questioned. Some enterprising pest control companies are now offering preventive flea control using IGRs.

Outdoor treatments should also be directed at areas where pets rest. Flea larvae cannot survive in exposed, sunny areas so treatments applied to entire lawns to control fleas are often wasted efforts. In addition, technicians instructed to treat lawns may not treat the prime flea areas such as under shrubs and decks. Special attention should also be paid to the dog house and dog kennel.

FLOOR TYPES. The type of surfaces being treated are important to successful flea control. An emulsifiable concentrate formulation of adulticide is ideal for treating carpets and rugs because they penetrate well into carpet fibers where larvae and pupae may be located. In addition, an EC will bind with carpet fibers, making it difficult to dislodge when sitting or crawling on the surface or when vacuuming.

Concrete Floors. When treating for fleas on concrete surfaces, it is best to use a microencapsulated insecticide labeled for flea control. Emulsifiable concentrate insecticides are usually absorbed into the concrete and may not be available to contact the fleas.

Other Floors. Wood, linoleum, and tile floors generally do not require treatment for fleas. Linoleum and tile floors are easily vacuumed and cleaned with appropriate cleaners to kill or remove any fleas present. Wood floors with cracks can prove to be difficult to treat. The cracks provide reservoirs for flea larvae to develop, and the nature of wood floor finishes makes treatment particularly tricky. Most of the efforts should be directed at pet resting areas. The entire floor needs to be cleaned thoroughly with particular attention paid to sites where pets sleep. Cracks under baseboards near these areas can be treated with a dust insecticide to kill any flea larvae that have crawled into the cracks.

The new flea light traps from Whitmire Micro-Gen and Woodstream may be helpful in rooms with wood floors to determine if fleas are present and to remove adult fleas. Applications to whole wooden floors should be approached with caution. It is a good idea to consult the product manufacturer for their recommendations before applying the product, or test it on a small, out-of-sight area.

SUMMARY. Currently, flea control procedures are much the same as they have been in the past. Our approaches to flea control are likely to change due mostly to indoor air quality concerns. It would not be surprising in the near future if pest control companies will be selling vacuuming services to ensure proper preparation prior to treatments. Better yet, steam cleaning carpets prior to regular applications of IGRs may prove to be the wave of the future. Only time and the ingenuity of manufacturers and pest management professionals will tell.

Sidebar: Flea Control Homework: A Checklist

Prior to having their homes treated for fleas, customers should be advised to take care of the following items, in preparation: (It helps to provide customers with a written list of to-do items.)

• Remove all items from floors, such as toys, books, shoes, etc., and from under beds and on closet floors.
  
• Vacuum all carpeting and rugs, floors under rugs, in closets and under beds.
  
• Vacuum all cushions of upholstered furniture.
  
• Dispose of vacuum bag in outside waste receptacle.
  
• Wash and mop all linoleum, tile or wood floors according to accepted manufacturer’s practices.
  
• Turn off any aquarium pumps and cover aquariums.
  
• Remove pet birds, reptiles and dogs and cats from premises during the treatment and return them only after the area is completely dry and ventilated.