Flea control in Summerstrand

Fleas in a Summerstrand home almost always come from a pet, either yours or the last tenant's. The adult fleas you see are only a small part of the problem; the eggs, larvae and pupae in carpets, bedding and between floorboards are the rest. Clearing them means treating the animals and the home at the same time, and doing it properly once rather than half-heartedly three times.

"Sand fleas" and real fleas

People living near the beach sometimes blame "sand fleas" for itchy legs. The little jumping creatures in the seaweed along the tide line are sand hoppers, tiny crustaceans that don't live in houses and don't infest pets. If you're getting bitten around the ankles at home, especially on carpet or near where the dog sleeps, you've got real fleas, and they came home on an animal, not off the beach.

The empty-flat surprise

Summerstrand has a lot of rentals, from student houses to holiday flats and long-term apartments. A classic flea story here goes like this: a tenant with a cat or dog moves out, the flat stands empty for a few weeks, and the new tenant moves in and is bitten within hours. Flea pupae can lie dormant in carpets and cracks for a long time, waiting for the vibration, warmth and breath that tell them a host has arrived. When it does, they hatch together.

For landlords and agents, a flea treatment between tenants, especially after pet owners, saves an unhappy phone call later.

Signs of fleas

• Small itchy bites, often in groups, on ankles and lower legs
• Pets scratching, nibbling at their back near the tail, or losing fur
• Tiny dark specks in pet bedding that turn reddish-brown on damp paper (flea dirt)
• Small dark insects jumping onto white socks as you walk across the carpet

If the bites are on your arms and shoulders and appear overnight, look into the signs of bed bugs in Summerstrand instead. Our page on biting insects in Summerstrand compares the possibilities.

How we clear fleas

1. Pets first. Before we arrive, have your dogs and cats treated with a product your vet recommends. Treating the house without treating the animals doesn't work.
2. Preparation. Vacuum thoroughly, especially under furniture and along skirtings, and empty the vacuum outside. Wash pet bedding hot. Lift toys and clutter off the floors.
3. Treatment. We apply a residual treatment to carpets, rugs, floors, under furniture and pet resting areas indoors, and to the shaded spots outside where pets lie.
4. Afterwards. Keep vacuuming daily for a while. The vibration prompts pupae to hatch, so the new fleas meet the treatment. Seeing a few fleas in the first days is normal.

You don't need to leave home; keep children and pets off treated surfaces until they're dry.

The mistake we see most

Only treating the pet. A flea collar or spot-on helps the animal, but the eggs, larvae and pupae in the house carry on developing. The opposite happens too: the house gets treated and the dog doesn't, and it brings fleas straight back in. Both need doing together.

Outdoors in Summerstrand

Fleas don't like full sun and wind, so on an exposed seaside property they concentrate in the sheltered, shady places: under decks, in the corner of the garden where the dog digs, under the stoep. Those are the areas we treat outside. If your garden backs onto open ground where stray cats wander through, fleas can keep arriving from there.

Holiday lets that accept pets

If you let out a beachfront flat or house and allow pets, build a flea treatment into your turnover routine during the busy season. One review mentioning flea bites will cost you far more than the treatment does.

Students with pets

Plenty of students keep a cat or a dog in their digs, and when the academic year ends the pet goes home but the fleas stay behind in the carpet. If you're a landlord letting to students, ask whether there's been an animal in the house and treat before the next group arrives.

What does it cost?

It depends on the size of the home, how much carpet and soft furnishing there is, the outdoor area that needs treating and how bad the infestation is. A light problem in a flat with tiled floors may clear with pet treatment and serious vacuuming alone, and we'll tell you if so. A house with carpets throughout and several pets is a bigger job. We quote once we know the details.

For more, see flea control in Port Elizabeth or the main Summerstrand pest page. We also deal with fleas in Walmer homes with big gardens.

Call 087 012 5550, or WhatsApp us a photo and we'll help you work out whether it's fleas.