Do you know what the worst pest flea in the United States is? It is called the cat flea. But cat fleas don't only feed on cats. They feed on dogs, livestock, small mammals, and birds. If you have fleas in your Evansville home, there is a pretty good chance they are cat fleas. Why are we making such a big deal about cat fleas? Their ability to take many hosts makes them a threat to your home, even if you don't have a dog or a cat. Here's what you need to know.
Wildlife
Are you hearing bumping and thumping in your attic spaces? If so, it could be a squirrel, raccoon, or some other wild animal. When warm-blooded mammals get into your attic, they usually bring fleas, ticks, and other parasites in with them. Wildlife can also get under your deck, porch, patio, stairs, and other exterior structures. This brings fleas in close to your home where they can be picked up by smaller animals that chew their way into your home. We'll talk about those smaller animals in a moment.
Birds
Do you suspect that birds have gotten into your attic spaces? Furry mammals aren't the only animals that can bring fleas into your home. Fleas take birds as hosts. If birds get into the wall voids of a finished attic space, fleas can be an issue for anyone living in that finished space. Bird nests also provide a hot spot for small animals to pick up fleas.
Bats
Do you hear scraping and bumping in your walls? If so, you might have bats. They often enter your home through roofline vulnerabilities. If there are bats in your walls, there is a risk of fleas, mites, and bat bugs.
Mice and Rats
Okay. It is time to talk about the small furry animals that chew their way into your Evansville home and move around in attic spaces, wall voids, and common areas. Mice and rats aren't content to stay in your attic. They will move about your home at night searching for food scraps and nesting materials. So, not only do they bring fleas into your home, they also pick fleas up, they also spread them around as they explore. And unlike the other animals listed above, mice and rats will bring a flea infestation into your common areas. These can expose you to flea bites and the diseases spread by fleas.
Flea Diseases
There are several diseases that fleas can spread, and the fleas that are carried by rodents, bats, birds, and other wildlife are more prone to infection. This is because the fleas that get on your pets are often selecting your pet as their first host, and your pet is far less likely to have a disease or harmful organism than a wild animal that feeds in dumpsters, sewers, and trash heaps. Some of the illnesses spread by fleas are bartonellosis, Murine typhus, tapeworms, anemia, and mycoplasma haemofelis. It is wise to take a moment to learn about the symptoms and warning signs of these medical threats.
Flea Prevention
Guarding your loved ones against the threat of fleas begins with rodent control. These animals bring fleas onto your property, into your home, and into your common areas. If your residential pest control program doesn't have rodent control, we strongly recommend adding it. Flea infestations are just one of many ways mice and rats can be harmful.
If you don't have a residential pest control plan, we can help you customize one for your home. We service Evansville and the surrounding communities with industry-leading residential pest control that includes rodent control. We also provide pest proofing services, which many other pest control providers do not. Let our team help your family reduce the threat of pest infestation. Reach out to us today. We're here to help.