How an empty flat fills with fleas
Eggs laid in carpet by a previous pet develop into larvae and then sit as pupae in a tough cocoon that can stay dormant for a long stretch once a property is empty. Movement and body heat trigger the next generation, so a converted Southall flat or an Ealing rental left vacant for weeks can start producing bites within days of someone moving back in.
Is it really fleas?
A flea bite usually shows up near the ankle, and the insect jumps instead of crawling; a simple test is dabbing suspected droppings onto damp paper, they'll turn reddish, as anyone near Perivale will recognise, where smaller residential streets close to the A40 and Perivale Park. Bites in a row higher up point somewhere else - the Ealing bed bug guide covers that instead.
If you have just moved in
Jot down when the bites began and which rooms they're occurring in, and photograph any flea dirt spotted in the carpet - the same pattern holds near Northolt, where interwar semi-detached suburbia towards the borough's western edge. Put a landlord, agent or seller on notice in writing straight away, so there is a record of the timing - this applies as much to a converted flat in Southall as to a house nearer Ealing Broadway.
If you let the property
The gap between tenancies is the easiest time to deal with fleas, since there is nothing to move out of the way. If the previous tenant kept a pet, or flea dirt turned up at check-out, or an inventory visit noted bites, any of those is worth dealing with before the next tenant moves in, just as near Hanwell, where a village-like area with Victorian terraces and newer housing along the Uxbridge Road.
Pets in the gardens of the avenues
Across the larger gardens typical of Ealing and Hanwell, where pets spend more time outdoors, a flea problem often surfaces after time away - a cat or dog boarded at a kennel or cattery stops picking up eggs as it goes, so whatever has already hatched at home is left looking for something else to bite.
Clearing the carpets
Get ready for the visit by pulling furniture clear of the walls so every edge is reachable, vacuuming thoroughly and emptying the vacuum straight into an outdoor bin, then washing pet bedding on a hot cycle, much as it does near Perivale, where smaller residential streets close to the A40 and Perivale Park. Afterwards, keep using and vacuuming the rooms as normal rather than closing them off.
Booking flea treatment in Ealing
A flea job in Ealing costs £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room, and since around Perivale, where smaller residential streets close to the A40 and Perivale Park, telling us how many rooms are carpeted and whether pets are part of the household when you book flea treatment helps, with the full detail on the Ealing flea treatment page.
