Tick & Flea
Tick & Flea
What you need to know
Ticks and Fleas are a parasitic insect that are usually introduced to the home when pets such as dogs and cats carry them inside. Usually, they remain on the host that ins present. If the host is no longer available, they may begin to feed on other hosts in the home.
Basic Biology: Ticks & Fleas
TICKS
Ticks life cycle is composed of four stages
- Egg
- Larval
- Nymphal
- Adult
They consume blood during all stages and may carry pathogens if they consume blood from infected source and may pass it on during its life cycle. For this reason they may cause problems if there is an infestation.
FLEAS
Fleas life cycle is composed of three major stages
- Egg
- Larval (3 stages)
- Adult
During the larval stage they hide out in safe areas while they grow into adults, once adults the flea then begins to look for food. Once it finds its first meal it will prepare to lay eggs and restart the cycle. Like ticks, fleas can transfer pathogens from host to host when it feeds on their blood.
Identifying The Problem & Control
Fleas and Ticks may seem similar in many ways but the treatment for both is approached differently.
Signs
Usually ticks and fleas themselves indicate a problem, as well as secondary signs such as medical symptoms caused by these creatures.
Management
Be sure to contact your pest control provider to deal with your problem, as well as maintain pets well groomed and checked regularly for ticks and fleas.
Disease
Since ticks and fleas consume blood from infected hosts, such as rodents, they pose great risk to transmit diseases that these host carry.