How Long Can Outdoor Flea Infestations Last
Getting rid of fleas is not a one-time project. Unfortunately, it is a process that could take weeks or even months due to a fleas life cycle. The life cycle of a flea begins when a female flea feeds for the first time on a host. Once this happens, she instinctively lays up to 20 eggs on the animals fur.
The eggs get into the fibers of your carpet or in the yard where your pets spend most of their time. The eggs hatch into legless embryos or larvae which live on pre-digested blood from the mother, meaning they do not need a host to survive. The larvae then develop into cocooned pupae, a stage that can last for weeks or even months because the flea does not emerge unless they sense a potential host through a change in thermal energy, vibrations, or a rise in carbon dioxide levels.
Because fleas dont emerge fully-grown until they have a host to feed on, flea infestations can last for several months while the fleas in your yard go through their life cycle. And because female fleas automatically lay eggs when they feed, its easy for the cycle to continuously repeat itself.
Facts About Fleas And Ticks
While fleas and ticks have some disturbing similaritiesnamely, they both rely on a host for survivaltheir lifespan is quite different. According to the CDC, most ticks go through four life stages: egg, six-legged larva, eight-legged nymph, and adult. After hatching from eggs, a tick must eat blood at each stage to survive and may take up to 3 years to complete their full life cycle.
In fact, most ticks end up dying because they do not find a host for their next feeding. Typically, ticks will only live about 24 hours without a meal. If the conditions are favorable , it may hang on a bit longer. Ticks feed on both humans and four-legged creatures.
The flea, on the other hand, has a shorter life cycle. The flea goes from egg to larva to pupa to adult, a process that can take between two weeks and several months, depending on conditions.
A flea will only live about one week without feeding. On average, most fleas live two to three months. Unlike ticks, fleas strongly prefer animal hosts. It would be considered rare for a flea to choose a human host, though it would certainly bite a human before moving on.
Outdoors, both fleas and ticks prefer moist, shady, cool places, such as shrubs and tall grasses. Keeping your grass mowed to the proper height and clearing out excess debris in your plant beds are two ways to make your yard less inviting to these pests.
Tick Treatment For Your Yard
The same as you may want to use a liquid product for fleas, you will want to spray your yard against ticks. Keep in mind though, that sprays often kill beneficial bugs like spiders that keep the mosquito population down. Honey bees and ladybugs are affected, too. Consider this option seriously.
Diatomaceous earth is a silica substance that comes from algae. This is an effective flea and tick powder for the yard. It is simple to use and rids your yard of ticks and other bugs like ants, termites, and lawn grubs. The diatomaceous earth cuts the bodies of the insects that walk over or ingest the powder. It is not harmful to people or pets, but breathing in the powder can be an irritant. Keep your pup inside as you apply it around the perimeter of your house and yard.
A product on the market that is proving to be a winner is the tick tube. These tubes contain cotton that has been treated with permethrin. Mice enter the tubes to take the cotton to their nest and the pesticide attaches to their fur, killing the ticks but not the mice. Place the tubes well out of the reach of kids and pets.
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Best Flea Killers For Yard Sprays And Concentrates
Fleas are among the hardest to kill of all insects, especially by hand. You could smash one with a hammer and still not get the job done. While indoor fleas may be more difficult to tackle at times, outdoor fleas are easy to dispose of if you use one of the best flea killers for yard maintenance.
Top 3 – Yard Flea Killers
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There are many options on the market, including powerful synthetic insecticides as well as natural formulations that can exterminate fleas, ticks, and other pests that constantly pose a danger to your pets.
Find Where The Fleas Are Hiding
While you may find fleas hiding in different areas in your yard, there is a high chance they are not everywhere. To find where the infestation is and you can target your efforts there. Fleas do not like the sun and hot temperatures, so look for areas in your yard that are shady, warm, and moist. Consider the places where your pet loves to be, as there is a high chance youll find a thriving population of fleas there as well.
The usual hiding spots for fleas include the dog kennel, outdoor furniture, under the porch, near trees, below shrubs, and along the fence lines. Bear in mind fleas can hide in multiple places, so do a thorough inspection in order to get rid of all the fleas in the yard.
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Flea Control For The Yard
Most of the time, you wont have enough fleas in the yard to warrant treatments, but outdoor infestations can happen.
If you do find yourself with a large flea infestation in your yard, you can treat it with:
When using pest control treatments for fleas , you only need to treat the shady areas of your yard. Fleas wont hang out in sunny areas, so spreading treatments in those spots will only waste product.
Plus, your pets are most likely to lay down and rest in shady areas, picking up any fleas lurking in the grass.
Get Rid Of Fleas Outside
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Factors To Consider While Purchasing A Flea Killing Product
Purchasing a flea killer is not an easy task, but the information below will help you to make the best choice. The right treatment for your area depends on several factors, including the form of the product, the size of your yard, whether its safe for your pets, among others. Lets take a look at them in detail.
Usage and Duration
Flea killing products come in several forms, such as granules, concentrates, sprays, etc. Some solutions only repel fleas or affect adult species, while others terminate insects in all life cycles, preventing them from developing and reproducing. The products that can help you to get rid of adult species together with their larvae are always pricier.
Thats why it is important to go through the label of the chosen option carefully to select the treatment that will provide the desired results.
Another factor to consider is the ease of use of the chosen product. Most such treatments come with spray applicator. Besides, you need to check how long the effect after the application lasts. The longer, the better. Most options continue to work for up to a month, and cheap ones can get washed out by the rain.
Coverage
Ingredients
It is essential to check whether the product is made of chemical or natural components. Solutions with natural ingredients are usually non-toxic to kids, pets, as well as the environment. However, they are not as effective as chemical pesticides.
Pets
Cycles Without Ovulation: Can You Conceive
Just like periods arent always regular, neither is ovulation. The day you ovulate can vary from cycle to cycle, and in some cycles, ovulation may not happen at all. This is also normal.
Irregular ovulation occurs when the ovaries and pituitary gland arent communicating properly about when to release an egg.
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Signs Of Ovulation You Should Definitely Know
Ovulation is a normal part of your menstrual cycle, but how much do you really know about itother than the fact that it happens on a monthly basis? Apparently theres a lot going on in your body when your ovary releases an eggsome things you may notice and others you probably dont.
Ovulation usually happens at the mid-point of your cycle, which would be 14 days before the start of your period if you have an average 28-day cycle, according to the Mayo Clinic. But if you dont have a 28-day cycle , it can happen in the four days before or after that mid-point. However, every woman is different, and it’s also possible that you can ovulate anywhere between day 11 through day 21 of your cycle, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
If youre taking a hormonal birth control pill and using it as directed, youre not ovulating, Lauren Streicher, M.D., an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, tells SELF. The hormones in the pill, particularly progesterone, are tricking your body into thinking youre pregnant, she explains. And obviously, when youre pregnant, you dont ovulate. While you still ovulate with the copper IUD, hormonal IUDs are thought to partially suppress ovulation, according to the Mayo Clinic, which means it can happen occasionally.
So whether youre trying to get pregnant or just the opposite, here’s what’s going on in there when you ovulate.
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Where Do Fleas Live Outside
Fleas ideal living conditions are in a humid, moist and dark place where they can feed on organic material or blood from mammals. They can be founded in tall grass, in shrubs, weeds, wood piles, debris, a dogs house, a shed or a garage, outdoors furniture, and any other moist areas.
A simple way to look for infested areas of the yard is to put on white, knee-high socks and stand for a few minutes in one place. If that area is infested with fleas, they will jump onto the socks quickly.
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Can Fleas Live Under Ahouse
Fleas usually enter the house on your pets, but they can also hitch a ride on clothing, and have even been seen to jump right into the house on their own. Hard-surfaced floors are no protection, either fleas can live in the cracks and around the edges of wood, laminate, or tile floors. Fleas can live in basements, crawl spaces in dark moist areas under your house.
Best Powder: Adams Flea & Tick Carpet Powder
Application Type: Powder | Active Ingredients: Linalool, Nylar, pyrethrin insecticides, piperonyl butoxide | How Long it Lasts: One year
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Stops all parts of flea life cycle
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Synthetic insecticides
A number of carpet powders are available on the market. Adams Flea & Tick Carpet Powder with Linalool and Nylar is affordable. It kills adult fleas, flea eggs and larvae, and ticks on carpets, rugs, and furniture.
Nylar is an Insect Growth Regulator, which means it stops eggs and larvae from growing into adults, effectively breaking the flea life cycle in your home. The botanically-derived insecticide Linalool kills all four stages of the flea life cycle: adults, eggs, larvae, and pupae.
One container can treat up to 400 square feet and you do not need to replace or reuse it for a year. Because it kills on contact, the manufacturer recommends applying and then letting it settle for at least 24 hours before vacuuming. It prevents re-infestation. The citrus fragrance also deodorizes and freshens while eliminating pet odors. Be sure to follow application instructions carefully to avoid inhalation exposure.
Application Type: Fogger | Active Ingredients: Pyrethrin insecticides, piperonyl butoxide | How Long it Lasts: Up to seven months
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It works when other treatments have failed
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Can be dangerous for cats if not used according to instructions
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Its a synthetic insecticide
They also recommend using this in combination with yard and pet treatments to prevent re-invasion from outside areas.
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Are Flea And Tick Yard Treatments Safe For Pets
If your dog has ever had fleas, then you know how hard it can be to remove those pests from your best friend, as well as your home. And if youve found a tick or two on your pet, you know they can appear without warning.
Your goal is to not only keep the fleas and ticks outside, but to also keep them off of your pets. A flea and tick lawn treatment in Central or Southern Maryland can help keep these nasty nuisances as bay.
But you may be wondering if lawn flea and tick treatments are safe for pets.
Lets look at what flea and tick treatments entail and how they can safely help save your pets from infestation.
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