Fleas are a pesky problem for both pets and humans alike!
At best, they’re an itchy pain; causing our felines to fret and our pooches to panic.
But at worst, they can cause widespread infestations, wreak havoc in our homes and can cause some rather nasty skin conditions. In rare cases, they can even spread horrible diseases.
As you deck your halls with boughs of holly, fleas are certainly not the kind of guest you want to be welcoming into your home over the Christmas period!
Thankfully, the UK’s cold winter weather often brings some welcome relief for pets and their owners when it comes to pests and parasites.
Fleas love to thrive in warm, damp conditions and proliferate throughout what is known as the ‘flea season’, typically running from Spring to early-Autumn. As a result, pet owners should be super-cautious around this time and take active steps to both treat and prevent a full-blown infestation.
Can fleas survive in winter?
Although they’re less prevalent when the thermometer drops, unfortunately, it’s a common misconception that fleas don’t continue to be a problem over the winter months, long after the typical ‘flea season’.
Fleas typically thrive in warm environments, around 23 degrees Celsius, which just so happens to be the temperature we like to keep our homes cosy at throughout the colder months. As we crank up our thermostats in winter, fleas will make a beeline, (or flea-line), for our warm pets and homes!
Your home and outbuildings can stay warm and humid enough to keep the creepy critters active throughout the year. And because they don’t hibernate over the season, they can continue to breed and hatch eggs throughout winter if it’s warm enough.
Did you know that just one female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day!? As a result, it’s easy to see how only a handful of fleas can quickly spread into an infestation nightmare, even in winter…
What does a flea’s life cycle look like?
It’s important to know what products to use, to not only get rid of adult fleas but to kill them at each stage of their lifecycle to prevent re-infestation. That bit is significant, as they can be a lot harder to kill when they develop into their armoured pupae-stage!
The life of a flea:
- Adult fleas: jump onto pets to feed. Females lay eggs, which results in lots more fleas!
- Flea eggs: fall off wherever your pet goes – this could be anywhere in the house, but mainly on their favourite sleeping spot…
- Flea larvae: flea eggs hatch into larvae in your pet’s bedding, and in carpets and soft furnishings.
- Flea pupae: lay dormant before hatching into fleas, which can be for up to 140 days until the right conditions arrive!
How to get rid of fleas in the home
- If you see fleas on your pet, you can give relief with Bob Martin Clear Flea tablets (available for dogs and cats) which starts killing fleas within 15 minutes and kills 100% fleas within 24-hours.
- Meanwhile, start treating your home environment with the Bob Martin Clear Home Spray Plus or Bob Martin Clear Home Flea Bomb: killing fleas and their eggs in the home and preventing reinfestation for up to 12 months.
- In the meantime, you can wash your pets’ bedding (over 40⁰c), vacuum wherever you can (as well as your car), paying attention to warm, dark, protected areas – a flea’s idea of a perfect home!
- Use Bob Martin Clear Plus Spot On: this kills fleas and their eggs on the pet and in the immediate surroundings to prevent re-infestation.
- Because fleas are the primary transmitters of worms, you should then guard against flea-borne worm infestations with the Bob Martin Clear wormers for dogs and cats.
- Re-spray your home, if you wish, after a few days. You can try steaming hard floors and tiles, and don’t forget to move and clean under your furniture!
But if you’re ever worried about your pet’s welfare, you should always consult your vet!
Which products should I be using to solve the problem?
Bob Martin Clear products will:
- Kill adult fleas and ticks
- Kill fleas for up to 5 weeks (cats) / 8 weeks (dogs)
- Kill ticks within 1 week (cats) / For up to 4 weeks (dogs)
- Have no direct action on the home
Whilst Bob Martin Clear Plus products:
- Kill flea eggs for up to 4 (cats) /8 weeks (dogs)
- Kill adult fleas for up to 4 (cats) /8 weeks (dogs)
- Prevent re-infestation
- Break the flea lifecycle by killing flea eggs
- Action on the pet and in the immediate surroundings
Bob Martin Clear Plus kills fleas and their eggs, on the pet and in their immediate surroundings. It contains S-methoprene, an advanced insect growth regulator (IGR), which:
- Kills flea eggs, larvae and pupae on the pet and immediate surroundings
- Protects your pet from further infestation
- Protects immediate surroundings from further infestation
- Breaks the flea lifecycle
Bob Martin Clear Plus not only kills adult fleas, ticks and biting lice, but also breaks the flea life cycle, by killing flea eggs and therefore stopping them from developing into adult fleas.
If you take these steps to avoid infestations, you can be confident of a flea-free festive season and enjoy a cosy Christmas with your furry friends!
For more advice on how to care for your pets, please check out our other Pet Advice blogs.