Fleas are common pests and they can be found on cats, dogs, rodents and almost every warm-blooded animal. They are parasites and feed on blood. 
Fleas lay their eggs on their host after a blood feed their larvae usually hatch within 14 days.
Adult fleas only have about a week to find food once they emerge, but after that, they can survive two years to three years between meals. We provide professional flea treatment throughout Dublin and Ireland.
Dangers related to a flea infestation
By the time you see one flea, you could already have spent months living with an infestation of eggs and maggot-like larvae.
That’s because adult fleas represent only 5% of the total flea population. The other 95% — eggs, larvae and pupae — hide in your home, in your bedding, carpets, furniture, and even between floorboards.
A female flea can lay 50 eggs every day — as many as 2,000 eggs in her 2- to 3-month lifetime, so if not eradicated quickly, fleas can take over your home in very little time.
Picture courtesy of Sentinel Flavour Tabs, effective flea treatment for pets.
Direct effects of flea bites
Fleas are a nuisance. Their bites cause an itching sensation which in turn may cause the host to bite itself, scratch or peck itself excessively in an attempt to remove the parasite.
However, fleas are not just a source of annoyance, their bites are usually painful and itchy with red marks.
Some people and animals suffer allergic reactions to flea saliva resulting in rashes.
Flea bites generally result in the formation of a slightly raised, swollen itching spot with a single puncture point at the centre (similar to a mosquito bite).
The bites can remain itchy and inflamed for up to several weeks.
Diseases spread by fleas
Fleas transmit not only a variety of viral and bacterial diseases. They also can pass other parasites to humans and other animals.
- bacteria: murine or endemic typhus. Fleas have helped cause epidemics by transmitting diseases such as the bubonic plague between rodents and humans. Fleas can also carry Bartonella bacteria which can cause several diseases in humans. The three most common are cat scratch disease, caused by B. henselae; trench fever, caused by B. quintana; and Carrión’s disease, caused by B. bacilliformis.
- virus: myxomatosis.
- helminth: Hymenolepiasis tapeworm.
- protozoa: Trypanosome
Request a Callback for Flea Removal
If you notice any signs of fleas in your home, your pets scratch incessantly, or you have flea bites, just buying a flea collar won’t kill all the fleas.
Pests multiply very quickly and if you leave it too long, the problem can and most probably will, get out of hand. If you nip the problem “in the bud”, you can eradicate it easily. If you wait too long, it may be more difficult and more expensive. We will help you get rid of the pests and tell you what to do to prevent the problem from reoccurring.