We have lived in the same house for almost a decade. We have never had any pets and haven’t even had anyone else’s pets in our home recently (within at least 6 months or more). Just in the last 24 hours I’ve started seeing quite a few fleas on my feet and lower legs (summer clothes…shorts and no shoes). And these are definitely inside the house; not brought in from outside. I would have thought without pets the possibility of getting a fleas infestation inside our home would be remote at best. And they’ve appeared so suddenly. Have never noticed any before about 24 hours ago. We keep a relatively clean house (vacumning about once a week usually). So ultimately I wanted to know if this is a situation you are familiar with and how common (or uncommon) is it?
Your problem is actually quite common. Around 20-25% of our customers don’t have pets and over 50% have never had a flea problem before. Regarding the fact that most flea problems are the first experience for so many people; I suspect that the people who have had fleas also learned how hard it is to get rid of them and want to make sure they never get them again! And as you’ll learn, pretreating is by far the best way to make sure you don’t ever get them.
As for how you got them; our FLEA CONTROL ARTICLE goes into great detail and explains why this routinely happens anywhere fleas are present. The main point brought out in the article is that one pregnant flea can lay hundreds of eggs so once she’s fed, in just a few days the eggs will start being laid. And if they’re laid in an environment which is not properly treated, there is a good chance these areas will develop a flea problem. It sounds like you’re in the middle of one right now.
At this time I suggest you read our article as it will do a great job of explaining just what you’re up against. Next, I’m pretty sure you’ll need several FLEA TRAPS and either the ONCE A YEAR FLEA GRANULES or some liquid treatments to control the active problem. The PERMETHRIN and FLEA FIX do a fine job and can handle most any flea problem; the Once a Year treatment is no doubt easier and longer lasting making it my favorite option when combined with some Flea Traps.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Flea Control Article: http://www.flea.net/flea-control
Flea Traps: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/electric/flea-trap
Once A Year Flea Granules: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/first-defense-2-lb
Permethrin: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/permethrin-10
Flea Fix: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/igr/igr-nylar
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