Tick & Flea Control in San Antonio, TX

At ABC, we understand that when you and your pets are being irritated by flea bites, you want a professional at your home as quickly as possible. Even one tick on your property can be nerve-wracking, due to the serious impact these parasites can have on our health. If you’re experiencing a problem with either of these pests, reach out to us and we will schedule an appointment at the earliest convenience. Sometimes, we can even provide you with an estimate over the phone.

If an inspection is recommended to create a treatment plan for your property, we will get you on our schedule at the earliest available opportunity. During this in-person meeting, you can expect one of our pest control professionals to:

• Ask you questions about your pest problem to get a better understanding of the severity and the extent of the infestation
• Assess your property to locate potential fleas and ticks hiding and nesting spots, and potentially determine whether any wildlife may have introduced these pests onto your property
• If necessary, identify what type of pest you are dealing with
• Determine if there are any unique factors that make your property more vulnerable to a pest infestation
• Answer any questions you may have about our protocol or our pest control treatment plans

To wrap up our inspection, we will provide you with an estimate for our recommended next steps. Upon your approval, we will schedule your first treatment call. Also, we will provide you with a list of things to do prior to the treatment call, which may include consulting with your veterinarian for a flea treatment plan for your pets.

Although homeowners may assume that pets itching more than normal are an obvious sign that they have a flea problem, there are other reasons your pets might be itching, including as allergies or dermatitis. In addition, not all pets react the same way to fleas. Therefore, your pet may not itch, but you could still have a flea problem.

If your pet does seem more irritated than normal, look for these other signs that can point to a flea infestation:

• Your pets licking and biting their fur excessively
• Bites on the feet and ankles of you or your family members
• Blackish-brown dots that hop on and off your socks as you walk across a carpeted surface
• Flea waste products, which will look like small black specks, that may fall off your pets as you brush them

Due to how quickly fleas can into a full-blown infestation, the best course of action is usually to contact a pest control professional who can implement effective flea control measures rather than waiting and suffering in the meantime.

Yes, ABC’s experienced technicians are fully equipped to put your mind at ease about the presence of ticks on your property. While these creatures don’t infest our homes, ticks are capable of spreading life-altering diseases, including Lyme disease, so it’s best to take precautions if you’re seeing ticks your property. When you contact ABC about ticks, we will provide you with a customized treatment plan to target these pests, as well as offer you advice on how to make your property less attractive to these pests.

One of the benefits of contacting ABC for flea control is that our services generally include a follow-up appointment to eliminate any eggs that may have hatched since our initial service call. Depending on the extent and severity of your particular situation, we may recommend additional service calls to ensure that your flea populations have completely controlled.

In order to begin our treatments, we will confirm with you that you have taken the necessary steps for our services to be effective. Our pre-treatment checklist includes:

• Cleaning all floors by vacuuming, sweeping or mopping
• Tidying up your yard by raking up leaves and mowing your lawn
• Minimizing clutter around your home
• If applicable, cleaning or replacing pet bedding
• Bringing your pet or pets to the veterinarian to be put on a flea control regimen

In order for us to begin our treatments, all of these steps must be verified and completed.

The most likely way fleas get inside is by hitching a ride on our pets. Frequently, flea infestations occur after a trip to the dog park, when your dog is in close contact with another dog that is infested. On other occasions, flea problems can develop when other types of wildlife, such as rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons, opossums and even deer, bring these pests onto your property. Doing something as simple as leaving pet food and water bowls out can bring these types of animals on to your property and lead to a flea infestation. Unfortunately, if you don’t have pets, rodents and other unwanted wildlife are the most likely culprit for a flea issue.

Fleas are prolific breeders. While some females lay an average of 20 to 30 eggs in a day, others can lay up to 50. This explains why some infestations can seem to develop overnight. While flea eggs are normally deposited onto our pets, they can easily get shaken off as a dog or cat moves around, distributing eggs throughout our homes. Since eggs inside a cocoon are immune to pest control treatments, an effective approach must begin in later life stages.

To make matters even more complicated, flea pupae can lay dormant for up to six months. This phenomenon can lead homeowners to believe they have been re-infested, when in truth, their original treatment plan was not effective. ABC’s customers can feel confident knowing that our treatment plans target these pests throughout their life stages, both in indoor and outdoor environments.

While there are flea control products available for purchase, many are not completely effective. For example, flea bombs often just drive fleas deeper into their hiding spots. Also, as previously mentioned, there are no treatments on the market which can eradicate flea eggs, so many homeowners will find that their flea problem has returned when these eggs develop into adults.

Furthermore, if your flea problem originates from an infested animal on your property, then these products won’t be addressing the root cause of your issue. Your ABC pest control professional can apply effective treatments to all areas of your property to ensure you are pest-free, then provide you with specialized tips to prevent another infestation.

As a family-run business, ABC’s top priority is your family. When we select the products we use, we only choose solutions that are specially formulated for residential use that we would use in and around our own homes. When we deliver your customized treatment plan, our technicians will apply any chemicals in the lowest concentration possible that will still be effective.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our treatment plans or the products we use, your pest control professional will be happy to address them.