Look Who’s Back in Town

Fleas, where were they and why are they back?

Ten to fifteen years ago, fleas were one of the biggest pests/slash money makers in the Pest Control industry.

The disappearance and reappearance of the flea has been a topic of much discussion among pest control professionals and educators and they have come up with several theories.

Some pest control professionals believe that the disappearance of the flea had to do with the development of on-pet flea applications.

Products such as flea shampoos, dips, powders and collars have been around since the 1960’s with limited success in flea control.

But the onset of spot-on treatments such as Advantage and the oral medications such as Sentinel put effective flea control in the hands of pet owners and in large part, out of the hands of the professional pest controllers. These products, when used properly, virtually eliminated fleas from the household.

The flea population lessened to the point where pest control businesses were no longer training new employees on flea control and flea treatments were cycling out of inventory.

But despite the advancement of customer applied flea control, the flea population over the last few years has been making a comeback.

The strongest theories regarding the resurgence include resistance, the increase of wildlife in              suburban areas and a lack of an integrated approach to flea control due to diminishing expertise.

Entomologist Nancy Hinkle, from University of Georgia states, “We’re never surprised when, when an insecticide is used intensively and extensively, to see insect resistance.” (1)

Dr. Gary Bennett. Professor at Purdue University agrees with the resistance theory.  “Because most of the components used are reaching the points in their lifetimes that you see resistance cropping up.”  (2)

Also, there is a case that the increase may have to do with laziness on the part of the consumer as far as keeping about with the frequency of applications needed to control the fleas and possibly not treating the household itself or their yards.

The wildlife theory operates on the principle that as cities expand and we take  away more  and more of the wildlife’s habitat, the animals are learning to adapt to living in suburban areas where food is plentiful and shelter easily found.  It is believed that these animals such as raccoons and opossums carry more fleas than rural animals and are sharing them with household pets due to their close proximity to one another.

Yet another theory is that the resurgence has to do with the lack of pest control expertise.  During the fleas approximately ten year hiatus, an entire generation of new technicians were not trained in flea control because there was no demand for it. 

So where do we go from here?  The fleas are making a comeback no matter which theory you side with.

As a whole, Pest Control professionals agree that this new generation of technicians must be trained to use an integrated approach to flea control and to understand the biology and life cycle of the insect and the relationship with its host.  The clients should also be informed that the products that they are using may only control the adult flea and not their eggs

Using integrated pest control,  technicians  not only treat the household environment but also the outside environment.  Technicians are also responsible for educating the consumer regarding upkeep after treatment such as frequent vacuuming, washing bedding and clothing and maintaining at home medications as recommended by the manufacturers of the products and or by their veterinarians.  As with most other pest problems, flea control is a cooperative effort between the home owner and technician.