Fleas
Where Fleas Breed Around an Edgware House
Adult cat fleas live on the animal, whether it is a cat or a dog, but their eggs fall off wherever it rests. The larvae then develop in carpet, bedding, cracks in the floor and dusty corners, out of the light. So the places to think about are wherever your pet, or someone else's, sleeps. How garages and sheds suit pests more widely is on Pest Control Edgware.
Pet beds in the garage or utility room
A dog basket in a converted garage or utility room, with an old blanket in it and a concrete or tiled floor round it, can hold a lot of flea eggs and larvae. Dust and hair collect along the edges and behind the washing machine, and the room is seldom vacuumed as often as the living room. From there, fleas travel into the house on the dog.
Cats in the shed and the garage
Cats like a dry, quiet spot, and a shed with cushions stored in it or a garage with an old armchair is ideal. Your own cat, or a neighbour's, may sleep there every day. The eggs they shed stay in the fabric and in the dust on the floor.
Foxes under outbuildings
A fox resting in the gap beneath a shed or behind a garage leaves fleas in the soil and debris there. A pet that investigates the spot can pick them up. It is also why a home with no pets can sometimes have fleas.
Signs to Look For
- Bites around the ankles and lower legs, especially after time in the utility room or garage
- Tiny dark specks in the pet's bedding that turn reddish on damp kitchen paper, which is flea dirt
- Your pet scratching or grooming more than usual
- Small dark insects jumping from a blanket, cushion or rug when it is shaken
How to know you have fleas goes through these, and where fleas hide covers the less obvious spots. Bites higher up the body that appear overnight may point to bed bugs instead.
Before the Visit
- Speak to your vet about treating every cat and dog in the house at the same time
- Wash pet bedding, blankets and shed cushions on a hot cycle, or throw out old bedding that cannot be washed
- Vacuum floors, rugs and sofas, including the utility room and the edges of the garage floor, and empty the vacuum into an outside bin
- Clear the floors of shoes, toys and stored things so they can be reached
- Count the rooms affected, including a garage or utility room where the pet sleeps
Preparing a property for flea treatment has the full list, and whether pet treatments clear the house explains why the vet's product is only half of it.
Afterwards
Keep vacuuming regularly, as fleas still in their cocoons can carry on hatching for a while and vibration helps bring them out. How long this goes on depends on the home and how established the fleas were. If bites are not easing or you keep seeing live fleas, get back in touch.
Keeping Fleas Out of the Outbuildings
- Keep every pet's flea protection up to date, following your vet's advice
- Wash the pet's bedding weekly and vacuum the room it sleeps in as often as the rest of the house
- Keep the shed and garage shut so neighbours' cats cannot use them
- Once you are sure no animal is underneath, close the gap under the shed so foxes cannot lie up there
For fleas in the rest of the borough, see Flea Control Barnet, or read the Barnet flea advice. Larvae along carpet edges that are bristly rather than smooth are more likely carpet beetles.
