While flea problems are associated with spring and summer when insect and arachnid eggs hatch in abundance, you can still experience problems in winter. Below is a guide to why you’ll need to create a winter flea control plan if you have pets at home. Here’s what you should know.

Why You Need Flea Control In Winter

How Fleas Survive When It’s Cold

Like many insects, fleas thrive in warm, humid conditions—preferably when it’s about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. While adult fleas, larvae, and eggs die in near-freezing temperatures, those in the pupae stage can stay dormant for up to 30 weeks when it’s about 50 degrees.

Fleas within homes survive easily when conditions are temperate by burying themselves in bedding and carpeting for warmth and protection. Female insects can lay 50 eggs per day, making a wintertime infestation both possible and severe.

Prevention & Treatment Tips 

Prevent fleas from taking over your home in winter with regular vacuuming. Focus on baseboards, carpets, pet bedding, and other areas fuzzy family members frequent. Seal vacuum bags and discard them since contained fleas can escape the appliance and re-infest your home. If you live in a humid region of the country, invest in a dehumidifier to control indoor humidity and therefore discourage fleas and other insects.

Other preventive tips include using recommended flea treatments on your pets. If you’ve had issues with the insects in the past, talk to your local exterminator about flea control to kill eggs.

Should an infestation take hold despite your best efforts, vacuum daily and keep up with flea control applications on pets. Wash all bedding on the hottest setting to kill the insects, and use exterminator-recommended sprays in corners around your home. 

Protect your home this winter with flea control services from Cox Termite & Pest Control in Savannah, GA. Offering one-time, monthly, 90-day, and quarterly pest control services, these exterminators use botanical pest management methods that are safe for pets and people. Call (912) 236-2503 today to schedule a free inspection or learn more about flea control services online. Like the Facebook page for additional pest management tips.