Getting rid of fleas in your home, the complete guide

Confirming they really are fleas

An adult flea is two to three millimetres long, dark brown, flattened side to side, and jumps up to thirty centimetres. People often confuse them with bed bugs, but the clues differ.

• Flea bites cluster around ankles and calves, in groups of two or three, with a red dot in the middle.
• Bed bug bites show up on arms, back and neck, in a line, and appear overnight.
• The damp paper test settles it: collect black specks from the pet's fur or bedding and place them on a wet paper towel. If they turn red, that is digested blood, so flea dirt.

Why a bug bomb solves nothing

A store bought bomb kills the adult fleas present at that moment. Adults are only about 5 % of the infestation. The rest is asleep in your fibres.

• 50 % are eggs dropped off the animal, spread everywhere it walks and lies down.
• 35 % are larvae feeding on debris deep in the carpet, far from surface products.
• 10 % are cocoons, the toughest stage. A cocoon shrugs off insecticide for weeks and waits for the vibration and warmth of someone walking by before it opens.

That is exactly why an empty home, when you come back from vacation for instance, can release hundreds of starving fleas at once. And why the rebound hits ten to fourteen days after a single treatment.

Preparation, before the technician arrives

Plan for half a day. These steps remove a large share of the eggs and larvae and make the treatment markedly more effective.

• Vacuum everywhere, carpets, rugs, under furniture, along baseboards, on couches and in hardwood gaps. The vibration draws fleas out of their cocoons, which leaves them exposed to the product.
• Throw the vacuum bag out immediately, sealed inside a second bag, in the outdoor bin.
• Wash at sixty degrees the bedding, couch covers and above all the pet's blankets and bed.
• Clear the floors so the technician can reach baseboards and wall edges.
• Book the vet the same week. Treating the home without the animal, or the reverse, does not work.

The professional treatment, in two visits

A serious flea treatment combines two products and two visits.

The first is a Health Canada approved residual adulticide, applied to floors, baseboards and textiles. It kills on contact and stays active for weeks. The second is an insect growth regulator. It is not a poison, it acts like a hormone that stops larvae from reaching adulthood. That is what shuts down reproduction.

The second visit, ten to fourteen days later, kills the fleas that emerged from cocoons in between. That is the difference between relief and elimination. At Axion it is included in the price, and the job carries a written guarantee.

Fleas without a pet, more common than people think

Plenty of callers start by saying they have no animal. It changes nothing.

• A former tenant had a dog or cat, and the cocoons waited for you to move in.
• A squirrel, raccoon or mouse settled in the attic or crawl space.
• Fleas travel from a neighbouring unit through floors and service chases.
• They arrived on clothing, a bag or a second hand piece of furniture.

With no animal host, fleas fall back on human legs. The treatment is the same, and it is the moment to check the attic if a rodent is behind it.

Keeping it from happening again

Once the home is clear, a few habits are enough.

• Regular vet flea treatment for the pet, especially May through October in Quebec.
• Weekly vacuuming of the pet's sleeping areas, bag thrown outside.
• Monthly hot wash of blankets and pet beds.
• A look at the attic and soffits, so a squirrel does not bring the problem back.
• Extra vigilance in late summer, the Quebec peak runs from August to October.

Frequently asked questions