The short answer
If you're finding fleas in the house in Tequesta or Jupiter, it's almost always the cat flea. Don't let the name fool you. It's the same flea that ends up on dogs, and it bites people too. The fleas you can see are only part of it. Most of the problem is eggs, larvae and cocoons you can't see, in the carpet, the couch and the shady spots in the yard where your pets hang out.
That's why fleas come back. To get rid of them you have to handle three places at the same time: the pet, the house and the yard.
Why you can't see most of them
An adult flea lives on the animal and lays its eggs there. The eggs don't stick. They fall off wherever your dog or cat sleeps, sits or rolls around. They hatch into tiny larvae that hide from light, deep in the carpet, under couch cushions, along baseboards and in pet beds. Outside, they live in shady, damp soil and leaf litter.
Then the larva spins a cocoon, and the flea inside can sit and wait. It comes out when it senses something to bite: footsteps, body heat, a pet walking by. That's why fleas seem to show up out of nowhere a week after you thought you'd won.
Why fleas are worse here
Up north, a cold winter knocks fleas back. In Tequesta and Jupiter we don't get that. It stays warm and humid enough for fleas to keep going most of the year, so a small problem in the spring can be a big one by fall.
The yard plays a part too. A lot of homes here back up to preserves, golf courses, the river or wooded lots. Raccoons, opossums and outdoor cats cut through at night and drop flea eggs in the same shady spots your dog likes. Under the hedge, the shady side of the house, beneath a deck or a raised porch, the dirt patch where the dog digs. Wide open sunny lawn is a lot less of a problem, because flea larvae dry out in direct Florida sun.
"We just moved in and we're getting bit"
This one surprises people. You buy a house, the last owners had a dog or a cat, the place sat empty for a few weeks, and the day you move in you've got bites all over your ankles. Fleas in their cocoons can wait out an empty house. When people, boxes and footsteps show up, they hatch at once and go looking for a meal. It's not something you did. Give us a call before it spreads to your own pets.
One flea or a real problem?
- A flea or two on a pet that just came in from outside. Make sure the pet's flea product is up to date and keep an eye on it.
- Bites around your ankles and lower legs, mostly in rooms the pets use. Fleas are breeding inside the house.
- Pets scratching nonstop even on a flea product, or fleas back a week or two after a deep clean. There are cocoons in the house or the yard, and it needs treatment inside and out.
How we get rid of them
We treat fleas inside the home and in the yard at the same time. Inside, that means the places the pets spend their time: carpets, rugs, under furniture and along the edges of rooms. Outside, it means the shady spots where fleas actually live, like under shrubs and hedges, along the house, under decks and wherever the dog likes to lie down.
Your pet needs to be treated too, so talk to your vet about the right flea product. When the pet, the house and the yard all get handled together, the cycle breaks.
Because some cocoons can hatch after a treatment, it's normal to see a few fleas for a short time afterward. If they keep showing up, call us and tell us what you're seeing.
Before your flea treatment
- Vacuum carpets, rugs, couches and pet beds really well. The vibration gets cocoons to hatch so the treatment can reach them. Empty the vacuum outside when you're done.
- Wash pet bedding, throw blankets and anything the pets sleep on in hot water.
- Pick up toys, shoes and clutter off the floor so the carpet and baseboards are easy to reach.
- Make sure your pet is on a flea product from your vet.
- Tell us where the pets sleep, eat and hang out, inside and outside. That's where we want to look first.
Keep them from coming back
- Keep pets on a flea product all year. Here, flea season never really ends.
- Vacuum the rooms your pets use every few days.
- Trim back hedges and shrubs so more sun hits the ground along the house.
- Close off gaps under decks, sheds and porches so raccoons, opossums and stray cats can't move in.
- Don't leave pet food outside overnight. It brings wildlife, and wildlife brings fleas.
Fleas in your town
We're based at 244 Country Club Drive in Tequesta and take care of homes all over the area. Find your town: Tequesta, Jupiter, Jupiter Farms, Jupiter Inlet Colony, Jupiter Island, Hobe Sound, Juno Beach, North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. Dealing with other bugs too? Read about tiny ants in the kitchen or why roaches show up after it rains.
Flea facts on this page line up with the University of Florida IFAS Featured Creatures guide on the cat flea.
