Fleas and Ticks

Fleas and ticks carry diseases that can sicken both humans and animals, and can be very hard to get rid of. A flea will be as small as 1/32 of an inch and upwards of 1/16 of an inch. They have hard, flat bodies, and are very hard to crush. They do not have wings, but can jump tremendous distances. The fleas drink the blood of your pets, and areas infested with fleas will be contaminated with “flea dirt”. This is feces, dried blood, and carcasses from dead fleas that stick to the pet’s skin.

Pets and people can get tapeworms from flea bites. Their prolific breeding requires regular treatment from your St. Charles pest control company. Many animals are allergic to fleas, and the bites can cause bacterial infections, dermatitis, and hair loss. Bites, whether on animals or humans, are small and red, and very itchy.

Ticks may start off at about 1/16 of an inch long, but can grow to ½ inch in length. The tick has a flat, wrinkled body and eight legs. However, as it feeds on the host, either an animal or human, the tick will get fatter and shiny. Ticks can live without any food at all for nearly a year, lying dormant until a suitable host appears. Once they have fed about 3 times, they can start breeding. Ticks will lay over 3000 eggs with each clutch, and will lay the eggs in tiny cracks and crevices. With severe pet infestations, they will lay eggs on the pet itself, in the ear canals and folds of skin.

Ticks carry many different diseases, including Lyme disease, Rock Mountain Spotted Fever, and typhus. You cannot pull a tick off of the skin, because the head is burrowed into the skin and will break off, becoming infected.

To kill fleas and ticks, call All Solution Pest Control today for St. Charles pest control.