Flea and tick control companies

About flea and tick control

Fleas usually arrive on pets and can keep breeding in carpets and bedding. Ticks wait in grass and brush for a person or animal to pass. This guide covers the signs of each, what you can do yourself, what professional treatment involves and what to ask before you hire a company.

Signs of fleas and ticks at home

Fleas often show up first as a pet that keeps scratching or biting its fur. Other signs include:

• Tiny dark insects that jump, often seen on pets, carpets or white socks.
• Itchy bites on people, often around the ankles and lower legs.
• Black specks in pet fur or bedding. Put them on a damp white paper towel, and if they smear reddish brown, they are flea dirt.

Ticks are small, flat pests that attach to skin or fur. You may find one on a pet or on yourself after time in tall grass or near the woods. Most ticks don't live indoors, but the brown dog tick can set up a population inside a home.

How to keep fleas and ticks away from your home

Work on pets, the house and the yard at the same time.

• Ask your veterinarian about flea and tick prevention for every pet in the home.
• Vacuum carpets, rugs and furniture often, and empty the vacuum outside.
• Wash pet bedding, throw blankets and your own bedding in hot water.
• Keep grass mowed and clear leaf litter and brush near the house.
• Put a strip of wood chips or gravel between lawn and woods.
• Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks after time outdoors, and remove any tick promptly.

What professional flea and tick treatment involves

The technician asks where you've seen fleas or ticks, then inspects the rooms and yard areas where pets spend time.

For fleas, indoor treatment usually focuses on carpets, rugs, furniture and pet resting spots. It works best when your pets are treated by a veterinarian at the same time. Expect a follow-up visit, because flea pupae in their cocoons resist treatment and can hatch weeks later.

For ticks, the work usually targets the yard edges, shaded areas, tall grass and leaf litter where ticks wait for a host. Yard treatments wear off, so many companies offer repeat visits during tick season. Every product must be used according to its label.

Cost depends on the size of the home and yard, how heavy the infestation is, whether the work covers indoors, outdoors or both, and how many visits are included.

Questions to ask a flea and tick control company

1. Are you licensed in this state? You can check a license with your state's pesticide regulatory agency, often part of the department of agriculture.
2. Will you treat indoors, the yard or both?
3. What products do you use, and how long must pets and people stay away afterward?
4. How many visits are included, and what happens if fleas come back?
5. What should I do before the visit, such as vacuuming or picking items up off the floor?

If you get a rash or fever in the weeks after a tick bite, contact a doctor.

Compare the flea and tick control companies listed above and read their reviews before you choose one.