ABC Blog

Not Sure What Fleas Look Like? Identification Tips

A flea biting a human

If you’ve ever had itchy bites on your skin and asked yourself whether they might be flea bites, you’ve probably also wondered what fleas look like. If you’ve never encountered these creatures before, you’re lucky, but also means you may be in the dark about whether you might have a flea problem. Unfortunately, fleas are so small and move so quickly, that they can be hard to spot, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Fleas are about the same size and color as a speck of black pepper, and their eggs are smaller than grains of sand. Unless you have sharp eyesight, you could have fleas in your midst—even infesting your home—and not realize it.

Why should you worry about fleas? After all, while they do bite, they don’t carry or transmit diseases to humans or our pets as some types of insects do. But they are still … Read Full Post »

Tick vs. Flea: How Can I Tell Them Apart?

A tick crawling on a leaf

After a hike with your family and dog, you give Fido a belly rub and find a small, dark brown colored bug in his fur. You know that ticks are commonly found in tall grassy areas like the one you just visited, but you also know that it’s flea season. So, what are the differences between ticks and fleas, and how can you tell which one you have seen?

For starters, you should know that ticks aren’t technically bugs at all but rather small arachnids, and while they can vary in size, once they have fed, they generally swell to a quarter-inch long and are clearly visible. On the other hand, fleas are considered true insects and are much smaller than ticks, rarely exceeding an eighth of an inch in size.

Let’s delve a bit deeper into what these pests look like and their behavior so you know more about each creature … Read Full Post »

How To Get Rid Of Fleas On Humans And Pets

A flea on a human finger

You’re tired of those itchy flea bites on your skin and you know the rest of your family is feeling the same way. Your pets’ constant itching is enough to make you believe that they are also miserable. It feels as if every time you walk across your carpet or sit down on your couch, more bites appear. While you can hop in the shower every time you’re in a flea-infested area of your home, doing so will only get rid of those fleas on your skin. Because fleas prefer dogs or cats, these bothersome pests are more likely to hop off of us and go searching for another creature to feed on.

Additionally, if your flea problem has come to the point where these fleas are biting you, you likely have a full-blown infestation in your home. This means to get rid of fleas on humans, you’re going to have … Read Full Post »

Can Fleas Lay Eggs On Human Hair?

Can fleas lay eggs on human hair

Even after putting the flea collar on your pet, the itching continues. Suddenly, you begin to feel the urge the scratch, too. You stare at poor Fido, who looks quite miserable, and start to wonder, can fleas lay eggs on human hair? If these creatures can infest your dog’s fur, wouldn’t it make sense that they could do the same on our own heads?

While fleas can technically lay eggs on our scalp, the possibility of this happening is extremely rare. Given how much these small parasites can disrupt a household, however, knowing all you can about fleas can help you avoid an infestation or manage an existing flea problem.

Let’s answer more questions homeowners frequently have about these common pests.

Can Fleas Live On Humans?

While humans can serve as a temporary host for fleas, eggs are more viable if a flea consumes the blood of a preferred food source. There are over … Read Full Post »

Bed Bug Bites Vs. Flea Bites: How Can I Tell Them Apart?

Bed Bug Bites Vs. Flea Bites

You woke up and noticed weird bites on your body. You look pointedly at Fido as he scratches behind his ear with a little more fervor than usual. Does he have fleas? Or maybe you have bed bugs? How would you know if you have bed bug bites versus flea bites, anyway?

If you’ve struggled to determine exactly what type of bug bit you, you are not alone. Most insect bites result in itching, and many leave a little bump or red mark where you were bitten. Why would it even matter which creature is biting you? For starters, bed bugs and fleas can pose different risks for you, your family and your pets. In this blog post, we’ll review the differences between these bugs’ feeding patterns, what their bites look like and how to treat a bite once you have settled on which creature is responsible.

Fleas: The Most Likely Culprit

A … Read Full Post »

Fleas In House, No Pets: Why Do I Have A Problem?

Fleas in house no pets

If you think that you can only have fleas in your home if you have a dog or a cat, you aren’t alone. Contrary to this common misconception, although flea infestations are more common if you have a dog or a cat, these parasites can make their way inside on any type of fabric—which includes any piece of clothing on your body or any item you may bring inside your house that has been in an infested area.

If you have grass in your front or back yard, these tiny parasites can hitch a ride with you or a guest into your home. Fleas could also enter your living spaces if you return from a friend’s house with a flea problem which has yet to be discovered. Another possibility is that a wild animal with fleas, such as an opossum, feral cat, skunk or raccoon, may have taken up residence without … Read Full Post »

Does Cold Weather Kill Fleas? Your Questions Answered

Does-cold-weather-kill-fleas

You couldn’t help yourself. You saw the cutest dog and decided she needed to become part of your household.

Six months later it happened. You woke up scratching.

Oh no.

Immediately you checked out your pup. And it was just as you feared: fleas.

The next day you got flea shampoo, thinking that would be that.

But a few days later, you woke up scratching again.

The shampoo wasn’t enough. Maybe you hadn’t killed them all the first time. Or maybe your furry family member was re-infesting the house with fleas from outside.

When the weather began getting colder, you thought perhaps you’d just wait them out. After all, wasn’t the cold supposed to kill fleas?

Not exactly.

Homeowners tend to underestimate fleas because we’ve been taught that they’re no big deal. Most of us assume that we can just head to the store and buy something and it will solve our problems like snapping our fingers.

Sometimes, though, it doesn’t, … Read Full Post »

Keep Pests Off Pets During the Dog Days of Summer

Keep Pests Off Pets During the Dog Days of Summer

You protect your home from pests, but what about your pet? Things only get worse during the dog days of summer.

Pests that love pets include fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and even bed bugs. These pests aren’t just annoying, they could be extremely dangerous. According to CDC data, “illnesses from mosquito, tick, and flea bites have tripled in the U.S.”—mostly due to warming temperatures. Many pests, especially biting insects, thrive in the heat. The diseases they may carry—Zika, West Nile, Lyme, and chikungunya—are also sensitive to temperature changes.

Some key findings of the CDC report include:

  • A total of 642,602 cases of disease caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, tick, or flea were reported in the U.S. and its territories from 2004 through 2016.
  • The number of reported tickborne diseases more than doubled in 13 years and accounted for more than 60 percent of all reported mosquito-borne, tickborne, and fleaborne disease cases.

With so … Read Full Post »

Birds That Eat Ticks: Do Turkeys Eat Ticks?

Birds That Eat Ticks

Ever been bitten by a tick? If so, you know how annoying they can be, at best. At worst, ticks can transmit serious diseases to humans. Ticks are small, parasitic pests that feed on the blood of a “host”—namely, another animal. Ticks aren’t too discriminating when it comes to their food; they’re all too happy to feast on humans, dogs and cats along with other, wilder animals. Fortunately, there are many different animals that are a tick’s natural predator, including some birds that eat ticks that might make a great addition to your home to assist with natural tick control.

Do turkeys eat ticks? That’s a question many homeowners ask. There are several types of poultry and wild birds that eat ticks, for example, along with ants, centipedes and certain other predatory insects. Keep reading to learn more about these parasitic creatures and how you can keep them away from … Read Full Post »

Orlando Homeowners Guide for Spring 2017

Orlando Homeowners Guide for Spring 2017

People worldwide flock to Orlando for many reasons, one being the year-round sunny weather. Here in Orlando, homeowners know that it’s the most excellent time of year to enjoy our yards, parks, and outdoor spaces. That’s one reason spring is a perfect excuse to take a closer look at your most significant investment—your home—to ensure you do what you can to take advantage of your most important investment.

Orlando Homeowners Guide for Spring 2017

Orlando homeowners have grown to depend on ABC Home & Commercial Services to keep their property free of pests. Our skilled and knowledgeable technicians treat your home as they would their own and do anything they can to be helpful. As an extension of this philosophy, ABC has created an Orlando Homeowners Guide for Spring 2017 to provide valuable resources for indoor and outdoor spaces.

The 9-page Guide includes:

  • Ten things to do in Orlando this Spring
  • Spring Home Maintenance Checklist
  • Spring … Read Full Post »