How to Get Rid of Fleas Permanently

Before you can get rid of fleas you have to have an understanding of the life cycle of fleas. Think of the life cycle as a pyramid. Looking at the life cycle of fleas from a backward perspective, the top of the pyramid you have the adult fleas that are driving your pets mad. They might even be driving you mad, because they will also feed off humans, though we aren’t their favorite meal. The next layer down on this pyramid are the cocoons. The cocoons are hard casings that are spun by the larvae that hatch out of their eggs and start eating the waste material from their adult fleas. The larvae spin their cocoons to metamorphose into adult fleas. Going back even further into the life cycle of the flea, you go to the lowest level of the pyramid, which are the flea eggs. This bottom rung of the pyramid is the largest layer of all.

For clarity, let’s examine the life cycle of one flea from beginning to end. A flea lays approximately 50,000 eggs a day. The eggs don’t stick to the pet; they roll off onto the floor, the bedding, and the grass outside. You will rarely ever see eggs on your pet because they roll off almost as soon as the eggs are laid. The eggs take about a 24 hour day to hatch out into tiny little maggot larvae. The larvae are about as big as the period at the end of this sentence. Once the larvae are hatched they start eating dung, which is the waste material of the adults. The larvae eat the dung of the adults for 3 to 5 days and then they spin their cocoons. It is here that they lay in wait for a blood meal to come their way. Flea larvae can lay in wait for an indefinite period of time, almost like suspended animation until their radar senses a warm animal in which to feed. They pop out as fully grown adults and start the cycle all over again.

When you put a flea collar on your pet, or shampoo the pet with flea shampoo you are only scratching the surface and not getting rid of the problem The underlying problem is where the life cycle starts-with the eggs. There are many good products out there that are designed to rid your cat or dog from fleas; but you still have the infestation of fleas in your home, and on your pet. You might even be tortured with flea bites yourself. Products like Frontline and Advantage are good to kill the adult flea that is on your pet, but it doesn’t stop more fleas from jumping on board, because until you get to the root of the problem fleas will keep hatching out.

In order to permanently rid your pets of fleas you have to treat your environment. You have to start at the base of your flea pyramid, which is the eggs. Many people think they can rid their environment of fleas with sevin dust, but sevin only kills the fleas at the top of the pyramid-the adult fleas. So many people are using sevin dust to kill fleas that they are becoming immune to it. If you do happen to kill the adult fleas, there are millions more waiting to jump on your pet as soon as the larvae in the cocoons sense a blood meal. Those little pests gestating inside the cocoons are aware when a warm blooded animal or human comes near them, and as soon as they sense a warm blooded meal they will pop out of their cocoons as fully grown adults.

There is a product that tackles the flea infestation from the ground up. The product, Ovitrol Plus, is an insect growth regulator (IGR). Ovitrol Plus should be used carefully on your pets. Ruffle the hair and spray a light coating of the spray onto the animal. Around the eyes and ears you need saturate a cloth with the spray and carefully work the formula around the eyes, ears, nose and mouth, being careful not to get any product into the eyes or mouth. After treating the animal, it is good to wrap them up in a towel or blanket for a few minutes so they don’t get chilled. Once dry they are good for a couple of months before you will need to treat again. Puppies and kittens that are over 3 pounds may be treated the same as the adults. For pets under 3 pounds you may spray a towel and wrap the animal in the towel leaving their face exposed, so that no product will get into the eyes, nose or mouth of your young pet.

Ovitrol Plus kills flea eggs, flea larvae and adult fleas. It also kills lice, ticks, house flies, hose flies, and botfly eggs. This product is especially useful on farms where there are horses and cattle. Botflies are often a parasite of farm animals. The active ingredients of Ovitrol Plus are methoprene 0.27 percent, pyethrins 0.20 percent, piperonyl butoxide 0.37 percent, N-octyl bicychloheptene dicarboximide 0.62 percent. The remaining 98.54 percent are marked as other ingredients. Always be sure to check with your veterinarian before using this product on your animals. There is a warning for owners of livestock not to use this product on any animal that will be used as food. You may have to use this product more than once to totally rid your house, yard and animals of fleas. You should treat every two months as needed.

This product is very effective. A friend of mine has been using this product for over a year. She treats her house and yards every 3 months, and she says she has not had any more fleas on her pets at all. Her pets go in and out and do not bring any fleas or ticks in on them at all. I asked my friend to rate this product. She gave it 10 stars. You can purchase this product at your veterinarian’s office, or you can buy it online at www.petmedstore.com.