WHY ARE FLEAS SO HARD TO CONTROL?

A lot of people ask me why fleas are so difficult to deal with. After all, it’s 2015 right? We should have that magic wand that gets rid of fleas immediately by now.

Well, fortunately for fleas, their biology insulates them from immediate defeat rather well.  Much like how a caterpillar enters a cocoon prior to becoming a butterfly, fleas enter a protective pupae state.  Once, they’ve reached adulthood, they wait in their protective state until they are stimulated to emerge by vibrations and carbon dioxide – just like a pet walking by.  Because fleas mature at varying rates, it’s easy to experience wave after wave of flea “hatches” even following chemical treatments.

"Because fleas mature at varying rates, it’s easy to experience wave after wave of flea “hatches” even following chemical treatments."

One of the most fascinating insects that we encounter in southwest Georgia is the flea. Most commonly, we encounter the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis). They can be a real nuisance and a health hazard. Not only do fleas bite and cause itching and irritation, but they commonly carry diseases and parasites. Various flea populations have been known to carry and transmit plague, murine typhus, and tapeworm.