Flea bite

How to stop flea bites at home

What is a flea

Fleas are small wingless, blood-sucking insects. They are no larger than the tip of a regular pen, and their color ranges from light brown to almost black.

Since they don’t have wings, they move from one place to another by hopping. It is also almost impossible to get rid of them without pesticide treatment.

Their thin and flat bodies are encased in hard shells, meaning you have to squeeze them between your claws or between 2 hard surfaces to kill them. But even if only one flea remains alive, the danger of further spread remains real.

What are the signs and symptoms

Skin rashes caused by flea bites are quite characteristic, they are small in contrast to mosquito bites.

If you are bitten by a flea, you may notice one or more of the following signs on your skin:
• The bites appear as small, red bumps.
• A red “halo” around the site of the bite;
• The bites can be several, usually 3-4 at minimum distancese, one from the other in a circle or in a straight line.
• The bites are most often around the ankles or feet, in most cases fleas bite in this place. But depending on the position of the body when the flea attack occurred, it is possible that the bites are around the waist, under the arms, chest, groin or in the folds of the elbows and knees.

In such bites, several characteristic symptoms appear. These are very itchy, and the skin around the site of the flea’s penetration can become inflamed and painful. You may develop hives or a rash around the site of the insect’s entry. Also, vigorous scratching can cause infection.

Can flea bites cause other problems

For humans, the risk of contracting another disease is very, very small, but this is not the case for your pets, however if they are infested with fleas you should take them to a vet.

Similar type of bites cause very strong itching in humans. And if you scratch frequently the place of flea penetration, you can injure the skin and cause a secondary infection. Avoid scratching if possible and constantly check the flea bite for signs of infection such as white fluid-filled blisters or a rash.

How to find out if we have fleas at home

If you have a four-legged pet, you have most likely encountered fleas. They prefer to live in the fur of your pet dog or cat, but it is possible for them to take up residence elsewhere and even on you.

If their population grows, fleas can spread outside the animal’s body and begin to inhabit the carpets, bedding, yard or terrace.

You can check for fleas by putting on white socks and walking around the house, especially if you haven’t washed the carpets and look at them afterwards . If you see small black bugs, these are most likely fleas.

Treatment of flea bites

The rash caused by the penetration of the flea disappears by itself. But still, to prevent new bites you must destroy the fleas. Your pet and your home should be treated with pesticides that will kill the fleas, you may need to leave your home for a few hours while the product works.

How to treat fleas if they are permanently at home

Uninvited guests can be destroyed if they began to inhabit our home only after complex treatment, which includes the destruction of parasites of the pets and complete disinsection of the living quarters, as well as the service rooms and sanitary facilities.

And this has to be done in a short time, ideally in a few hours, so we have to set aside a day to carry out the disinfection. This is provided that the fleas have settled permanently at home.

To treat pets, we must choose a suitable and effective agent. Shampoo is unlikely to help immediately, it is better to use drops. They contain poison, so they must be used strictly according to the instructions in the leaflet.

Usually the drops are placed on the animal’s neck, where it cannot be licked off. After treatment, it is advisable to put a collar on the cat or dog to prevent re-infection.

Bedding and toiletries are also common flea habitats. Textiles can be washed in hot water and plastics can be washed in boiling water.

Some people prefer to throw everything away after finding that it is infested with fleas and buy a new one.

What and how to wash to fight fleas

Bed linen is washed at maximum temperature, preferably in boiling water, then ironed.

Pillows and mattresses are best treated with a steam generator, the same can be done with soft toys.

Furniture is vacuumed, then washed with nishadar dissolved in it or with any essential oil.

All clothes and linens are removed from the cupboards and must be ironed again or steamed. Outerwear should be sent to dry cleaning.

All treated clothes and underwear are placed in tight packages, which must be able to be closed hermetically, so that insects cannot find themselves there again.

Before getting rid of fleas at home, it is necessary to do a thorough cleaning. It is desirable to vacuum all corners and recesses, wash the walls, floor and all furniture with water and alcohol.

It is desirable that the vacuum cleaner has a disposable bag so that we can throw it away after we finish cleaning. Otherwise, the parasites and their eggs will remain in the tissues of the bag.

All this can be considered a necessary preparation, after which the destruction of the small bloodsuckers proceeds.

What insecticides to use

In order to deal with the fleas that have crawled into the home on our own, it is necessary to choose the right preparation. The assortment of those suitable for fleas is not large. This is explained by the peculiarities of the vital activity of insects.

They feed on blood, for this reason and food baits, which are effective in other cases, will not work in this one.

Anti-bloodsucker drugs usually come in 2 forms:

• Aerosols – the poisonous substance spreads by air-droplet. This is how it ends up in the body and causes instant death. Acts against mature individuals and their larvae. Aerosols are very convenient to use. They do not leave traces in textiles and furniture, the smell of chemistry quickly dissipates. Their effect is effective, but short-lived.
• Contact preparations – various suspensions and powders. They destroy the nervous system of bloodsuckers, cause paralysis and then death – various suspensions and powders. They destroy the nervous system of bloodsuckers, causing paralysis and then death. They last longer than aerosols, but are often dangerous for pets living in their home. They are lethal to larvae and to sexually mature individuals.

The combination of aerosols and contact preparations can help us completely get rid of the fleas that have taken up residence in our home.