Locals often love Texas weather. The mild temperatures are attractive to growing families as well as warm-climate-loving pests, like fleas and ticks, who survive throughout the year without a harsh winter freeze to kill them. The whole year is flea and tick season in the greater Austin area. With fleas laying an average of 40 eggs per day for 50 days at a time and ticks laying up to 5,000 eggs at a time, having these pests around can quickly mean an infestation.
They aren’t harmless; both pose threats to humans and animals alike. Preventative pest control from companies like BrockStar Pest Services can help keep you safe. If you are experiencing a flea or tick infestation, call today to schedule service, 512-800-0437.
Read on for everything you need to know about fleas and ticks, including identifying an infestation and keeping these parasites out of your home.
Flea and Tick Dangers to Pets
The most common flea in the US — and in Texas — is the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis). As the name suggests, these fleas prefer to feed on the blood of domesticated cats; however, dogs and wildlife are equally desirable host animals to the flat, wingless creatures. They’re so small, they are difficult to see and can easily be mistaken for a fleck of dirt. They have incredible jumping abilities and can span distances 150 times their heights. Thus, they’re quite mobile.
Besides being annoying — their bites can cause flea allergy dermatitis — fleas can also cause serious health concerns for pets. Fleas carry tapeworms and can infect pets. They can also cause pets, particularly cats, to be infected with bartonella bacteria, which can lead to conditions of the heart, eyes, and liver. If the pet has enough fleas, the blood loss can cause them to experience anemia.
Texas is host to several tick varieties, including tropical horse ticks, cattle ticks, southern cattle ticks, winter ticks, and spinose ear ticks. These parasites attach themselves to a host and feed on their blood. They can transmit diseases directly to the host animal, including most noteworthy, Lyme disease. Although the rates of Lyme disease transmission in Texas are declining, it is still prevalent. The symptoms can include fever, lameness, limping, joint pain/swelling, enlarged lymph nodes, and it can eventually lead to kidney disease and death.
Flea and Tick Threats to Children
Fleas and ticks can land on humans, either during time in the outdoors (particularly in wooded, brushy, or riparian areas) or through contact with other host animals, like domestic pets. Fleas can appear anywhere on children. Ticks like to tuck into hair, inside and behind the ears, on the back of the neck, in armpits, inside the belly button, around the groin, on the legs, behind knees, and between toes.
Humans can contract many of the same diseases as pets. The symptoms appear slightly differently, and the conditions may have different effects. The worst effects of fleas on humans tend to be dermatitis; fleabites tend to cause red bumps and inflamed skin.
Tick-borne diseases are much more harmful. Initial Lyme disease symptoms involve fever, headache, fatigue, and skin rash, but over time, this disease can develop into a debilitating disease that affects the heart, joints, and nervous system. Tick-borne diseases also include anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis, which involve fever, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue. Rocky Mountain spotted fever involves a fever and a measles-like rash, and it can quickly evolve into a dangerous disease. Tularemia can bring about fever, malaise, skin lesions, and swollen lymph nodes.
How to Spot a Flea or Tick Infestation
To prevent these harmful effects on your family members—both two-and four-legged—it’s important to spot a flea or tick infestation early. Although a few fleas can often go undetected on pets, children, or in upholstery or carpet, with greater numbers they may be able to be seen as they hop from one location to another. You may also notice fleabites on your family members or pets or kids scratching excessively in response to them.
Ticks are easier to spot because they’ll generally stay attached to their blood hosts. However, because they start small, they may escape notice for a while until they’re engorged. If you find multiple ticks on your pets or human family members over a period of time, it’s likely you have ticks in other places in your home.
How to Kill Fleas and Ticks in Your Home
Fleas are notoriously difficult to get rid of because many insecticides don’t kill flea eggs so the pests can develop again in areas you’ve already treated. Fleas and ticks both reproduce quickly. Rodent infestations can make both problems worse because the rodents become host animals for the secondary infestation. As they enter and exit your home, they can also bring in outside pests just as you’re trying to exterminate them. Trying to exterminate fleas on your own can quickly turn into a game of pest whack-a-mole. As soon as you’ve gotten rid of them in one area, they crop up somewhere else.
Removing ticks begins with checking everyone’s bodies thoroughly to make sure none are still attached. You can suck tick up with a vacuum indoors, which will rid your home from ticks in all life stages. Scattering diatomaceous earth kills ticks while keeping kids and pets safe. However, if ticks are thriving in your yard, you’ll inevitably bring them back inside.
How BrockStar Pest Services Can Help
BrockStar has been keeping it local since 2012, so we’ve been there and seen that. We can create a comprehensive pest-control plan to rid your home and yard of fleas and ticks now and prevent future infestations. Call to schedule service, 512-800-0437.
