Fleas and ticks are most commonly seen in homes that have pets – but not necessarily. If you live near wooded or highly vegetated areas, ticks especially, can jump onto humans passing by, in hopes of finding it’s next food source. While these two pests are completely different they are often associated together. They become more active around the warmer months and can be difficult to get rid of. Both their bites can be harmful to humans.

Best Ways to Prevent an Infestation:

• Treat all of your pets with flea and tick preventative routinely. It is available in oral and topical treatments and collars.
• Regularly inspecting your animals for fleas or ticks will help reduce your chances of infestation.
• After walking in high grass or wooded areas, check yourself and your family for ticks, both on your body and your clothing.

It’s important that you call an exterminator as soon as you see any signs of an infestation. Both fleas and ticks will bite you and your family. The ticks prefer to feed on the blood of animals, but will not hesitate to use humans as their food source. Ticks are known for carrying Lyme’s disease, a potentially chronic disease. Fleas can also carry potential illnesses for humans.

Because of the life cycles of fleas, the adult fleas you see in your home may be only a small percentage of all the fleas that are actually in your home. Flea eggs and larvae can live deep down in the fibers of your carpet or animal bedding.

Talk to your exterminator about treating your yard. While treating your pets and your home is great, but he may recommend also treating your yard, or else the fleas and ticks will just hitchhike their way back into your home – creating havoc all over again!