Fleas: More Than Just an Aggravating Pest Infestation

After a long winter, and a few more weeks to follow, most of our pets have spent a significant amount of time indoors. Many times, this means that pests may be brought into the home after your morning walk and take up residence in your home—a common one is a flea. 

Fleas are external parasites, meaning they feed off the blood of humans and animals from outside the body. They like warm blood and will go after it. They can also carry diseases. While the biting and scratching acrobatics of your pet may seem a bit funny, fleas are definitely no laughing matter.

Your vet can offer a variety of ways to deter a flea infestation for your pet—from flea collars to medications and treatments, but often these diligent parasites find a way to enter and multiply. This is a problem for both your pet and for you and your family. Not only will you notice your pet biting and scratching their skin, but you may also notice small bite marks on yourself or your children. This means there is a flea infestation and you will need professional pest remediation.

Fleas can quickly take over a space—the eggs and resulting flea larvae develop in a short amount of time. You can try some home remedies, but to ensure the problem is truly solved once and for all, you will want to contact a Long Island exterminator. Once they take care of the flea infestation, make sure you incorporate preventative measures to keep them at bay.

About DQ Pest Control:

DQ Pest Control is a family-owned and operated New York animal control and wildlife removal company serving the New York metropolitan area and Long Island. Specialist David Quinn is a New York exterminator with many years of experience in the family business.

Silverfish Infestation

Most people wouldn’t know what to call the skinny brown bugs that they find in an old box of books or in the cupboard making their way through a bag of flour. Luckily, we do. These unwelcome guests are called silverfish or firebrats on occasion, and they are, for the most part, just annoying. A silverfish infestation can become serious if the population is large enough and the infestation persists for  New York exterminators to take care of the problem before any significant damage is done.

But, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So here are some tips to avoid silverfish problems:

• Store books and fabrics in plastic, sealed containers
• Clean closets, attics, basements, and other storage areas routinely
• Vacuum carpets regularly
• Check boxes or parcels that come into your home for signs of silverfish or firebrats
• Reduce the humidity in storage areas and repair any plumbing issues

Basic cleaning and home maintenance should be enough to keep a silverfish infestation from happening in the main areas of your home. It’s the areas that go unused for long periods of time that pose the potential for a problem—a musty attic or a leaky basement, for example.

Typically, you will need to have a professional remediate the problem if you have a silverfish infestation, then you’ll need to take these steps to prevent a recurrence. Depending on the way your space is used, you may want to consider routine pest control treatments—for example, if you keep a lot of old books or operate a home office and store paperwork.