Adult fleas taking blood-meal and excreting partially digested blood that will become the larval food source. IPM methods incorporate all available control methods into a pest management program. Control methods include sanitation, exclusion, and chemical techniques. Do not expect good flea control if you begin a control program in July or August when the flea populations have already exploded. You can do your own flea control or contract the services of a professional pest control operator.
Veterinarians also have prescription treatments for flea control on pets.
The Importance Of Flea Control Besides the discomfort even one flea bite can cause people and pets, a more serious medical concern for people in the U.S. is infection by the dog tapeworm, Dipylidium caninum. The cat flea is an intermediate host of the tapeworm. An intermediate host carries the parasite from one primary host to another. The primary host of the dog tapeworm can be a cat, dog, or even occasionally humans, if the infected flea is accidentally swallowed. Adult fleas infected with the tapeworm are ingested by the pet during grooming, thereby infecting or reinfecting dogs and cats.