Fleas
Fleas in Friern Barnet Apartments
Converted apartments are often generous in size, with fitted carpet through the bedrooms and living room and a long internal hallway joining them. That is a lot of pile for eggs and larvae to settle into. The floor beneath may be old timber under new carpet, and larvae that fall between the boards are beyond the reach of a vacuum. Where fleas hide around the home shows the places that matter.
Moving in after a previous owner's pet
An apartment that stood empty during a sale or between lets can seem free of fleas until someone moves in and starts walking about, and then the bites begin within days. It does not mean the place was dirty or badly cleaned. The guide to fleas after a move explains why the bites start only once someone is living there.
Pets in a building with shared corridors
Cats and dogs in apartment buildings pass through corridors, lobbies and the grounds, but fleas mostly stay where the animal rests. The pet's bed, the sofa and the rooms it uses are the priority, rather than the corridor. If you think fleas are in a carpeted communal area, tell the managing agent.
Houses near Coppetts Wood and Friary Park
Gardens close to woodland and parkland get foxes and visiting cats, and fleas can come indoors from wherever those animals lie up, often under a shed or decking. Fleas without pets covers how.
Checking for Fleas
- Bites round the ankles and lower legs, often in small groups
- Tiny dark specks on pet bedding or carpet that turn red on damp tissue
- Fleas jumping onto white socks as you walk across the carpet
- A pet scratching more than usual, especially round the neck and the base of the tail
Knowing whether you have fleas walks through each sign in turn. Bites in lines on the arms or shoulders after a night in bed are more like bed bugs, and bare patches in a wool carpet point to carpet moths rather than fleas. For bites that are very itchy or look infected, a pharmacist or GP can advise.
Getting Ready for Treatment
- Have the pet treated through your vet before or around the same time, as we treat the home, not the animal
- Vacuum every carpet, the hallway and along the skirtings, then empty the vacuum outside
- Put the pet's bedding, cushions and throws through a hot wash
- Clear the floors so the carpet edges and the space under beds can be reached
How to prepare for flea treatment has the full list, and anything particular to your home is explained when you book.
Booking for an Apartment or House
When you book flea control, say how many rooms are affected, whether there is a pet now, and whether you have recently moved in. Bites can carry on for a short while after treatment as new fleas hatch, and why fleas can still bite after treatment explains why. How long clearing takes depends on the home, so get in touch if the bites continue past the time we give you.
Keeping Fleas Away
Keep the pet's flea treatment up to date on your vet's advice, vacuum often where the animal sleeps and wash its bedding regularly. If you are buying an apartment from a pet owner, ask whether flea treatment was kept up, and have the carpets vacuumed thoroughly before the furniture goes in, while the floors are easiest to reach. Landlords letting apartments here may find flea treatment between tenancies useful. Fleas across the rest of the borough are covered on Flea Control Barnet, and the Barnet flea advice goes further.
