Adam Retzer Staff asked 8 years ago
I received an email with a question, but the user entered the wrong email address and the email delivery failed. So, I am going to include the question and answer here in case they (Zhazhu) check.
My cat slept beside my pillow every night- Ihave had exterminators address this area – what signs should I watch to see if flea have remained after flea extermination. Plus how are these dealt with?? I vacuum every other day and had a second flea treatment last Friday
T.L Nakis
Thanks!
Adam Retzer Staff answered 8 years ago
Hello,
Eggs likely fell onto the bed if the cat slept there. Within a few days, they will hatch into larvae. You would see small maggot-like creatures crawling around if they were there. Laundering the bedding will kill any eggs and larvae.
The exterminator treatments will likely only kill the emerged adult fleas. So there will still be eggs, larvae, pupae, and pre-emerged adults developing in the carpets. They live at the base of carpeting, so many will escape the penetration of the insecticides and vacuum removal (though these control measures are helpful).
It’s important to treat the cat (e.g. with Advantage II). Adult fleas live permanently on their host once it’s acquired. Newly emerging adults in the carpet will jump onto the cat and die. Once all the immature stages have matured into adults and have been killed, then the infestation will be over. This usually takes around 8 weeks.
Flea traps are useful for assessing flea populations and for determining when the infestation is over.
Hope this helps,
Adam
