How Do You Know When Fleas Are Gone or Not?

So, how do you know when fleas are gone and you can finally let your guard down?

Fleas are a nuisance that can be challenging to eliminate. So, it is natural to be concerned whether all the pests are gone once you have treated your pets and home.

You may have used meds and shampoos to treat your pets and tried insecticides to treat your home.

But, are you sure they have worked effectively? Really, how do you know when fleas are gone from house?

Fleas are gone when you do not see any on your pets, find no eggs or larvae around the house, and there is definitely no flea dirt present. 

How Do Fleas End Up in Your Homes?

While pets bringing in fleas from outdoors are the most prevalent factor, fleas can enter the home through other routes as well.

You might carry them in on your belongings like carpets and furniture, or they might already be there if the previous tenants kept pets. And of course, you can pick up fleas from others as well.

What it means is that fleas can enter your home with someone who has been infected or in contact with diseased animals.

Fact: Adult fleas are much smaller than a grain of rice, and they thrive and proliferate at a much higher rate in warmer regions than in cooler ones. 

Why Is Flea Infestation Bad for You and Your Home?

A flea infestation can become a serious problem if you own pets or have young children.

Some of these issues include the following:

Health Risks

Human and animal flea infestations are dangerous because of the many health complications they can cause.

For instance, fleas can bite hard. And those bites can result in:

• Redness
• Irritation
• Itching
• Edema

Extreme reactions, such as hives and trouble breathing, can occur in those allergic to flea bites. Also, keep in mind that fleas can spread disease from animals to people and vice versa.

Some of the most common diseases include:

• Typhus
• Bartonellosis
• Cat scratch fever

Really, chills, fever, and body pains are just the beginning of the troubles that flea infestation can cause.    

Loss of Money

Fleas can be destructive to your home if they are allowed to infest your carpets, furniture, and other belongings.

Flea larvae have the potential for long-term damage from feeding on organic materials like carpet fibers.

Similarly, flea infestations can be challenging to get rid of. While fleas themselves only live for a few days, their eggs can lay latent for months or even years, making it difficult to get rid of them entirely. 

As if that were not bad enough, some fleas can develop a resistance to common treatments.

Therefore, trying to get rid of them can take a toll on your mentally, physically, and even financially.

Fact: In just 60 days, your home might be infested with as many as 20,000 fleas if you accidentally bring in just one adult female flea. 

How Long Do Fleas Live in Your House?

Fleas can live for a few days to a couple of weeks without a host such as a dog or a cat, but their eggs can still prolong the infestation.

Female fleas can produce as many as 27 eggs each day when they find a blood meal.

Maintaining a spotless home is the most effective method of warding off fleas. Always use a sanitizer and vacuum frequently to prevent the spread of an infestation. 

How Do You Know When Fleas Are Gone from House?

Fleas are a major annoyance for pet parents and can negatively impact their quality of life.  

Therefore, finding out if fleas have been completely removed from your home is important, and here is how to confirm that. 

Check Your Pets

The first indicator that fleas are no longer around is that your pets feel happy and lively. The blood of animals is the primary source of nourishment for fleas.

Therefore, checking your pet closely is the way to confirm any infestation. 

How to Check Your Pets?

You can see your pet’s skin better by brushing against their hair with the flea comb. We recommend beginning at the back and working forward.

Check beyond the obvious places, such as:

• Behind your pet’s ears
• Between their toes
• Under their arms
• On the tail
• On the skull

Repeat the process of brushing your dog with the flea comb after applying petroleum jelly to it. 

Fleas, if present, will become visible on the jelly. In addition to being a pleasant way to spend time with your dog, this is an effective method of treating fleas on your dog because the jelly attracts them as you brush.

Be sure to stick to this routine for a few days to confirm if fleas have been eliminated fully. 

Check for Eggs and Larvae

To confirm the elimination of fleas, you need to look for their eggs and larvae. 

Flea Eggs

Typically, flea eggs are a tiny bit longer than a millimeter and whitish in color. They can attach to surfaces thanks to their sticky texture and oval form.

They can be found on your pet’s fur, in your carpets, and in any number of cracks around your home.

It is a good sign that you have successfully eliminated fleas from your home if you no longer see any flea eggs. 

Flea Larvae

The flea larvae are worm-like in appearance and measure only 2-5mm in length. They are white in hue and limbless, making them hard to spot.

They populate the same pet bedding, carpets, and furniture as adult fleas, so look for them there.  

Seeing no flea larvae is a good sign that the flea population in your home has decreased.

Look for Flea Dirt

Flea dirt is composed of tiny, black pepper-looking particles that are often spherical in shape. It will be visible in your cat or dog’s coat.

To better see it or the actual fleas themselves, split your pet’s hair by running a flea comb against the way the hair grows.

Sometimes, you may notice flea dirt without any fleas there. It is possible that fleas may have been consumed when grooming or may have leaped off, but were present lately.

The truth is that fleas spend only a small percentage of their life cycle on animals and then live in your yard or home.

Still, it is a good idea to use a flea comb to look for flea dirt and if there isn’t any, your pet is probably clear and fleas are gone from the house. 

Vacuum Your Home

One of the best ways to get rid of fleas is to vacuum the house regularly.

Vacuuming can help remove flea larvae and eggs that have made their home in upholstery, rugs, and carpets. Adult fleas can be found on your furniture, and they can be picked up with a vacuum.

After you have finished vacuuming the house, take it outside to throw away the bag or empty the canister.

This way, if any fleas manage to escape, they will not be able to re-infest your house.

Fact: It is hard to confirm the removal of fleas as flea adults can go without a blood meal for up to two weeks.  

Make Use of Flea Traps

You can use flea traps to check if the pests have been completely removed from your home.

The sticky surface of a flea trap attracts the insects and then catches them. The presence of fleas in a room can be detected by setting up a flea trap there.

After a few days without catching any fleas in the trap, you can rest assured that the flea infestation has been eradicated.

And, you know the problem is not yet over if you keep finding them in the trap. 

Seek a Professional’s Help

If you are not sure if fleas are already gone from your house, you may consider consulting a professional.

A specialist can help you figure out how bad the problem is and give you remedies that will work to get rid of the fleas if any are left.

The good thing is that a professional exterminator can also help you avoid future flea problems by giving you advice on how to maintain your house flea-free.

Fact: Jumping fleas are a common sight, and they are very good at it as they can jump 13 inches vertically.

Takeaway

How do you know when fleas are gone from house? It is hard to get rid of fleas, especially when you use home remedies. But, if you have tried some ways and think fleas are gone, do not relax just yet.

Be sure to check your pets carefully using a flea comb and look for flea dirt, eggs, and larvae on your pets and around your home.

If everything looks clear, the chances are you no longer have a flea infestation.