What can kill fleas?

Killing fleas and getting rid of those damned pests is relatively easy and, when you are prepared, you will not have too many difficulties.

First, you should meet the enemy.

Fleas are insects whose mouthparts are specialized for piercing skin and sucking blood. They are dark-colored, with long legs specialized for jumping. Ordinary flea can jump for up to 13 inches so it is quite easy for them to move and hide.

The greatest problem with fleas is that not only do they attack a wide variety of animals like dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, squirrels, mice and others, but they attack humans too. Regardless of the fact that some fleas specialize as parasites on individual animal species (like cat fleas or dog fleas), they have no problem with using other species as a host (well... like you and me).

Flea bites cause itching, but fleas are not just a source of annoyance. Their saliva can cause allergic reactions and in some extreme cases, fleas can cause anemia. The fleas are quite dangerous pests since they can also transmit many viral and bacterial diseases to humans as well as pets and other animals.

Since fleas can settle in your hair in less than 10 minutes, as soon as you notice an infestation, you should react and do your best to kill all the fleas. You must take three actions to solve flea infestation. You must kill fleas on your pet, you must kill fleas in your home and you must prevent flea re-infestation.

First, you should give your pet a bath using a good anti-flea shampoo. After the bath, all the fleas will be either drowned or dead from the shampoo effects but there will remain possibility that some of the eggs survived.

Second step is to use a good, fine toothed flea-comb and thoroughly comb every part of your pet’s body. Do this gently so you don't hurt your pet's skin since comb teeth can be quite sharp.

It is actually a good idea to comb your pet with the flea comb couple of times every week so you have opportunity to notice if any fleas show up again.

More than three quarters of a flea's life is spent somewhere other than on the animal. In order to solve flea infestation, it is not enough to kill fleas only on your pet. It is important to treat your home too.

First step is to launder all pet bedding and your bedding too in order to get rid of fleas and their eggs.

Next, use good flea prevention and treatment spray or powder on your carpets and under the furniture. Fleas and flea eggs can survive in carpet for quite a long time so you should tackle this problem immediately. You can often safely use the same spray to kill all the fleas in your yard and keep your pet flea-free.

In case any fleas remained hidden somewhere you can’t reach them, you can use a simple, non-poisonous, odorless, child and pet safe, flea trap to catch and kill those resilient pests.

The best long-term protection for your pet is to use one of the “once-a-month” topical flea prevention and treatment. They are easy to apply and will keep your pet safe with just one single monthly application. After first application, your pet will be flea-free after only one day.

It is good idea to brush your pet with a flea comb often, so you can catch fleas and flea eggs before they become a problem. If you use topical flea-killer, this will help you comb off all those dead fleas and flea eggs.

Sweep the floors and vacuum your carpets on regular bases. Keeping clean environment is healthy and something you should do whether you do own pets or not. In addition, a good steamer will help keep your home pest free.

Having a flea infestation is no fun and now, you know what can and will kill fleas. Be prepared so both you and your pet have a healthier and happier co-habitation.