Flea Treatment Service for Kansas City Homes & Yards

Usually the pet tells you first: scratching, biting at the base of the tail, or small scabs along the back and neck. Part the fur and you may see adult fleas — tiny, reddish-brown, flattened side to side — or black specks of flea dirt that turn red on a damp paper towel.

People tend to get bitten around the ankles and lower legs, in small clusters of itchy red bumps. Walking across the carpet in white socks is a simple test; fleas jump onto them and are easy to spot. If you are not sure what is biting, catch one on a piece of clear tape and text us a photo of it.

Fleas go through four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Adult fleas live on the animal — they feed, mate and lay eggs there within a day or two of jumping on. The eggs are smooth and fall off wherever the pet walks, sleeps or scratches, which is why a flea problem concentrates around pet beds, favorite couch spots, and the shady places in the yard where the dog lies down.

The larvae that hatch avoid light and burrow down into carpet, between floorboards, under furniture cushions and into the soil or leaf litter outside. They feed on “flea dirt” — dried blood passed by the adults — and other debris. Then each larva spins a sticky cocoon and becomes a pupa.

The pupa is the stage that makes fleas frustrating. Inside the cocoon it is well protected, and a fully developed flea can wait there for weeks until it senses vibration, warmth or the carbon dioxide of someone walking by. That's why fleas seem to explode after you come home from a trip, or move into a house that sat empty. Our guide to flea infestations after pets or a vacation goes into that in more detail.

Treatment reaches adults and larvae, but fleas still sealed in their cocoons keep emerging for a while afterward. Seeing a few fleas in the first couple of weeks after treatment is normal — those are new adults hatching out and running into the treated areas. The numbers should keep dropping as the life cycle runs out.

Vacuuming helps more than people expect during that window. The vibration coaxes pupae out of their cocoons sooner, and the vacuum picks up eggs, larvae and flea dirt. Empty the canister or bag outside every time.

In Kansas City, fleas are worst from late spring through early fall, when it is warm and humid. Indoors, a heated house lets them keep going all winter if the cycle isn't broken.

We will tell you exactly what to do before your visit. In general, flea prep comes down to giving the treatment a clear path to the places fleas develop:

• Pick up toys, clothes, shoes and anything else off the floors, including under beds.
• Wash pet bedding, throw blankets and washable rugs in hot water and dry them on high heat.
• Vacuum carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture and along baseboards, then empty the vacuum outside.
• Plan for people and pets to be out of the house during treatment, and for when they can come back.
• Have every pet in the household treated for fleas by your veterinarian at about the same time.

Indoors, fleas develop wherever pets spend time: carpets, rugs, pet beds, furniture, and the cracks along baseboards. Hard floors are less hospitable, but the gaps between boards are not.

Outdoors, fleas don't live in an open, sunny lawn — the larvae dry out and die in direct sun. They live in shaded, moist spots: under decks and porches, along fences, beneath shrubs, and in the dog's favorite resting places. Stray cats and wildlife passing through the yard can keep bringing them in. If your pets spend time outside, treating only the inside of the house usually means the problem comes back.

We treat the home and yard — the environment where fleas develop. The pets themselves need to be treated by your veterinarian, who can recommend the right product for each animal's age, weight and health. Treat every dog and cat in the house, including indoor-only cats, because one untreated animal keeps the cycle going.

Pet flea treatment protects the animal, but it doesn't clear the eggs, larvae and pupae already in the carpet and yard. Treating the pet and the environment together is what ends an infestation.