Did you hope that your flea problem would end with the cold weather?  Unfortunately, fleas are determined to stay alive even when weather conditions outside are less than ideal.

So where do the fleas live? 

Fleas may be hiding inside or outside without you even knowing it.  Inside they can be found hiding in your carpet, sofas or blankets.  Outside they may be found around shrubbery where wild animals feed and rest.

It only takes a couple fleas to form an entire army.  Two fleas can lay hundreds of eggs.  In 21 short days 1 flea can lay 1050 eggs.  You have to break the life cycle of the flea to completely eradicate your flea problem.  Adult fleas that you can visually see on your pet only account for 5% of the fleas during an infestation.  It is important to select a flea/tick preventative that not only kills the adults but also targets the eggs and larvae.  Frontline Plus is a good preventative that targets all four stages of the flea.

The Flea Life Cycle

Experts say that you can break the life cycle of fleas by applying Frontline Plus to all pets in your home (even the ones that do not go outside) for a 3 – 4 month period.  If you have additional questions about the flea, flea cycle or breaking the cycle ask one of our team members.

A entire flea infestation starts with only two fleas and can lead up to thousands in less than a month.  There are four cycles to the flea life cycle.  The cycle begins with a female flea laying eggs.  The female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day and up to 2,000 eggs in her lifetime.  The eggs then turn to larvae.  The larvae prefer to egg in dark areas like carpet and cracks in the floors.  As the larvae feed they grow into flea pupae this is where they start to grow into adults.  New adult fleas reside in their protective cocoons waiting for their next blood meal.

For more great information on fleas and ticks check out the Merial website.