Why Fleas Appear When the Pet Has Gone
This is the call we take most often, and the explanation surprises people every time. Flea eggs drop off the animal into the carpet and lie there. They hatch in response to warmth and vibration — a person walking across the floor. So an empty property has a dormant flea population that activates the day somebody moves in.
End of tenancy
A tenant leaves with the dog, the property stands empty for a fortnight, the new tenant arrives and is bitten within days. Nothing was missed on the clean; the eggs were never going to hatch until somebody started walking about. It is why we do a steady amount of work for Barnet landlords and agents between tenancies.
Foxes and the garden
Barnet's gardens, allotments and open land support a lot of foxes, and a fox resting under a shed or a decked area leaves fleas behind whether or not you have a pet at all. Cat flaps, air bricks and gaps under a back door do the rest.
Where they actually live
Not on the pet, mostly. The adult fleas are on the animal, but the eggs, larvae and pupae are in the carpet, at the carpet edge, in pet bedding and down the sides of upholstered furniture. Treating the animal alone leaves the bulk of the population in the floor.
Before treatment
- Vacuum thoroughly, including carpet edges, and empty the cylinder into an outside bin
- Wash pet bedding hot and tumble dry it
- Treat the pet itself, through your vet — we treat the property, not the animal
- Clear the floor so the treatment can reach the carpet edges
- Keep off treated surfaces until they are dry
