Flea control in Garsfontein

Fleas are a household problem, not just a pet problem. Only a small part of a flea population is on your dog or cat at any time. The rest are eggs, larvae and pupae in carpets, pet beds, couches and shady corners of the garden. To get rid of them, you need the animals treated by your vet and the house and yard treated at the same time.

Why Garsfontein sees a lot of fleas

It's a suburb of family homes, and most of them have at least one dog or cat. Pets run between the house, the lawn and the shady spot under the carport, and in summer the warmth and humidity after afternoon storms are perfect for flea development. Fleas also come in from neighbours' animals, from stray cats crossing walls at night, and from friends' dogs that visit.

We also get a specific kind of call here: a family moves into a house or a townhouse where the previous owners had pets. The house has been standing empty for a few weeks, and then, the moment people walk in, fleas start biting. That's because flea pupae can wait inside their cocoons until they sense vibration and warmth, and then hatch all at once.

Is it fleas?

• Small, itchy red bites, mostly around ankles and lower legs
• Pets scratching, biting at their back near the tail, or losing fur
• Tiny black specks in the pet's coat or bedding that turn reddish on a damp tissue (that's flea dirt)
• Small dark insects jumping onto white socks when you walk across the carpet

Bites in rows on the upper body, or bites only at night in bed, may point to something else. Our bed bug treatment in Garsfontein page covers how to tell the difference.

How we treat a flea problem

1. Pets first, through your vet. We don't treat animals. Have your vet recommend a product, and treat every pet in the house on the same day as our visit.
2. Prepare the house. Vacuum all carpets, rugs, couches and pet beds thoroughly, and wash pet bedding on a hot cycle. Empty the vacuum bag outside straight afterwards.
3. Treatment indoors. We apply a residual treatment to carpets, under furniture and along skirting boards, together with a product that stops eggs and larvae developing into adults. It's odourless and won't stain.
4. Treatment outdoors. We treat where pets rest: under the carport, kennels, shaded patios, the strip along the house and the dog's favourite spot under the tree. Sunny, open lawn rarely needs it.
5. Keep vacuuming. For two weeks afterwards, vacuum daily. The vibration brings pupae out of their cocoons onto treated surfaces.

Little ones and pets should wait until everything treated has dried.

What people get wrong

Treating the dog and nothing else is the classic. The dog gets a flea product, fleas on the dog die, and a fresh batch hatches from the carpet a week later. People then decide the product doesn't work. The other mistake is expecting zero fleas the day after treatment. You will see some for a week or two as pupae hatch. That's normal and a sign the treatment is doing its job.

A local tip

Look at where your dog actually sleeps outside. In many Garsfontein gardens, it's a dusty, shaded hollow under a hedge or beside the boundary wall, and that patch can be full of flea larvae. Rake it out, wet it down, and if you can, give the dog a raised bed or mat in that spot instead. Larvae struggle in exposed, washable bedding.

What does flea treatment cost?

The price comes down to the size of the house, how much of it is carpeted, and how large an outdoor area your pets use. A townhouse with tiled floors and one cat is a quick job. A large carpeted home with several dogs and a big garden takes longer. If you catch a few fleas early and keep the pets on a vet-prescribed product, regular vacuuming may be enough on its own, and we'll tell you if that's the case.

You'll find more about our flea methods on the Pretoria flea control page, and the rest of our local work on the Garsfontein area page. We do a lot of flea work in pet-owning households in Moreleta Park too.

If fleas come back within three months of our treatment, our guarantee brings us back. Book on 012 012 5526, or WhatsApp us with a few details about your pets and the size of the house.