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Bites around the ankles, the dog will not settle

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A home inspector kneeling at an open crawl space vent along the foundation of a house, checking for pest entry points.

Worth handling this week

Is this what you are looking at?

Bites concentrated around ankles and lower legs are typical, because that is the height fleas jump to. Check the pet for flea dirt: comb over white paper, and if the specks turn rust red when damp, that is digested blood and confirms fleas. Adults on the animal are a small fraction of the total; most of the population is eggs and larvae in the carpet and bedding.

Also called: cat fleas, dog fleas

Where they actually are

Fleas arrive on a pet or on wildlife under the house, then drop eggs wherever the animal rests. Those eggs hatch over following weeks, which is why an infestation seems to come back after it looked finished.

  • carpet fibres and rug padding
  • pet bedding
  • upholstered furniture
  • floor cracks and baseboards
  • the car, if the pet travels

Why the can from the hardware store does not work

Treating the pet alone leaves the vast majority of the population in the carpet. Flea bombs do not penetrate carpet fibres where the larvae are, and the pupal stage resists most products entirely, so activity resumes a week or two later and looks like a new infestation.

What a contractor actually does

A contractor will treat the environment with products including a growth regulator that interrupts the egg and larval stages, and will usually coordinate timing with the pet being treated by a vet. Vacuuming before and after matters more than people expect, because the vibration triggers pupae to hatch into treated surfaces.

Flea populations build quickly in a warm house and the cycle means it gets worse before it looks better. Dealing with it early shortens the whole process.

Questions people ask on the call

My pet is treated. Why are there still fleas?
Because most of the population is not on the pet. Eggs and larvae in carpet and bedding keep producing adults for weeks.
Why did they come back after two weeks?
That is the pupal stage hatching. It resists most products, which is why timing and follow up matter.
Can I get fleas without a pet?
Yes. Wildlife in a crawl space or attic, or a previous tenant with pets, both do it.

Fleas in the house?

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