Preparing for a Flea or Tick Treatment

Preparing for a Flea or Tick Treatment

Prepared by Del Lawson of Modern Pest Control

As with all insects removing fleas from a home is very difficult. There are hundreds of products on the market and dozens of pest control companies that claim they have the quick, easy and cheap way to get rid of them.

The following is a list of things that must be completed by the home owner or tenant before a flea treatment can be performed and most importantly before the treatment will be effective.

Preparations to be completed by the resident:

• All pets and occupants of the house must leave for four hours to allow the treatment to settle and dry.
• Birds should be removed from the home, sensitive fish should be removed or have the aerator shut off and then have the tank covered.
• All pet bedding should be removed and washed in hot water and dried in the dryer.
• All clothes that may have contacted the infested area must be washed as well.
• The home should be neat and orderly as we will have to be able to get around.
• Anything that can be washed in a washing machine should be washed.
• All hard surface floor areas must be swept or vacuumed.
• All cracks and crevices, where the floor and wall meet (Floor Wall Junction) should be vacuumed so as to remove live adult fleas and eggs.
• All carpeted areas must be vacuumed prior to the day of service. This helps the knap of the carpet stand up to accept treatment more readily.
• Toys and pet bowls should be picked up in the back yard to allow for a proper treatment.

What to expect the day of the treatment:

• On the day of the treatment the technician will first come into the home and do a visual assessment.
• He will then begin treating the home
• He will inform you of the time you can re enter the home

What to expect after the treatment:

• Some of the products we use for fleas contain insect growth regulators. These products will kill the adult fleas and sterilize the emerging eggs. That means that you may see fleas from 14 to 21 days after treatment. However, these new adults will not be able to reproduce and therefore will die.
• Re-inspections and treatments may be necessary.
• You should continue to pet bedding as often as possible to facilitate killing of all present adult fleas.

These steps are not mere suggestions but are necessary to get rid of the problem. Remember these problems take time to get under control and help from you the tenant is of the utmost importance. If we do not cooperate and work together the problem may continue or get worse.

The author Del Lawson serves as Vice President of Operations for Modern Pest Control, Houston TX. and can be reached at dlawson@modern-pest.com.

For more info visit http://www.modern-pest.com/.

Modern Pest control has provided pest control in Katy, Sugar Land, Pear Land, Richmond, Missouri City, Rosenberg, Stafford, Houston and the surrounding areas for over 50 years.