Kelli's Corner

It is barely noticeable. You reach to brush away what you expect will be nothing more than a fly or stray hair, only to discover a blood-sucking intruder. With the discovery of that first flea or tick, you also have the creepy-crawly feeling that if you've found one, many more must be lurking nearby.

If you have animals (and what's a happy home without them?), fleas and ticks are an uncomfortable fact of life for you and your pet. More than a nuisance, fleas and ticks can transmit a host of pathogens and skin diseases to humans and their furry friends. But you don't have to risk disease or watch your pets suffer. With a little diligence and the help of some pest-controlling methods, you can stay safe during flea-and-tick season.

The development of the flea includes the adult laying eggs, which develop into larvae, then pupae, and ultimately immerge as adults in as little as fourteen days under optimal condition. One flea can become as many as 100,000 in just thirty days in ideal circumstances. During cold weather with low humidity, fleas can lie dormant for months. However, many homes are conducive to flea development all year. On top of that, many common pesticides only kill adult fleas, leaving roughly 95% of the flea problem behind.

Ticks rank right up there with snakes and spiders as creatures that elicit fear and disgust by the mere mention of their name. These blood-sucking parasites are carriers of several diseases, most notably Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Ehrlichiosis, a disease with flu-like symptoms that sometimes results in death. A female tick will feed for three days to a week. Her weight will increase as much as 200 times before she has had her fill, at which point she will fall to the ground where she will lay anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 eggs.

Anyone who has ever suffered through a severe flea or tick infestation knows that it is a situation that can have one reaching for a strong pesticide. This can be especially dangerous for young children who may crawl on treated carpets and floors. Many pesticides are toxic to your pets, as well.

Flea collars are infused with pesticides that emit a constant stream of vapors. The collars can be helpful, but they can also irritate your pet’s skin. There are several herbal remedies and natural flea preventatives, such as adding garlic to your pet’s food or using the aromatic oils of cedar, lavender, mint, and rosemary. These methods are being tested.

The good news is that prevention is the best approach to flea control. The bad news is that you will have to vacuum and vacuum and vacuum. You can eliminate up to 50% of flea eggs in a single pass with a vacuum. Pay special attention to any areas where your pets may lie and remember to clean underneath furniture. Wash pet bedding regularly and vacuum cushions, pillows and between crevices on upholstered furniture.

Outdoors, fleas are highly susceptible to fluctuations in temperature and moisture. Mow infested lawn areas short and allow them to dry out during the heat of summer if possible. Fleas are found most often in moist, shaded areas such as under porches and around dog pens. Give the shady areas a good flooding with a water hose and you’ll drown the fleas. Keep vegetation around your home cut short so that the summer heat and breezes can keep your yard dry. Removing leaf litter under shrubs and trees can also significantly reduce flea and tick populations. In the past, when fleas and ticks became uncontrollable, there was little choice but to flood your home with toxic pesticides. Fleas and ticks have become resistant to most pesticides used against them, prompting companies to continually develop new products, to which the pests eventually also develop resistance. Some of these products act as long term controls by preventing fleas from laying viable eggs. Others are low-toxicity pesticides you apply once a month between your pet's shoulders to kill fleas and ticks quickly and steadily for a period of several weeks. Thus far, these new pesticides appear less toxic than those used several years ago. The best time to prevent ticks and fleas is now!

If you are looking for a pet to add to your family, please come see us at the Humane Society of Wichita County, 4360 Old Iowa Park Road. Direct comments and concerns to me at kellijordan@hotmail.com.