Daniel asked 8 years ago
This site has been so reassuring! I moved into a new apt 2 1/2 weeks ago to discover that the four throw carpets were infested with fleas from previous animals. I removed all the carpets and I have no pets and have now had the exterminator come treat the place 3 times, yet fleas are still popping up. It’s been a nightmare since at times I can’t walk across my floor without finding fleas on my legs. I am hoping that eventually they will all die out and this will be over soon. I have been reassured by this site that fleas cannot reproduce without pets, though I have seen contradictory information elsewhere.
Adam Retzer Staff answered 8 years ago
Hello Daniel, I’m glad you found the website useful.
The problem should be significantly reduced within a few weeks. The fleas are still popping up because immature stages are somewhat resistant the insecticide treatments. Thus, you’ll see fleas here and there as the young fleas in the environment mature and emerge as adults.
At a maximum, you may see fleas for 5 months. Cocooned adults can remain quiescent (dormant-like) for up to 5 months while they wait to detect a host. Vacuuming helps eliminate these stages. The vacuum simulates host cues and forces these fleas to emerge.
Fleas can’t survive and reproduce without pets. There’s contradictory information online, because many sites are just trying to get as many visitors as possible. They don’t care about providing accurate information. This is why I cite all my sources.
