Download | Duration: 00:05:34

Mod: Hi, and welcome to another episode in A Day in the Life of Dovid Davis Pest Specialist. Today, Dovid is going to tell us what steps we need to take to take to get rid of a flea infestation.

 Dovid Good afternoon, I'm Dovid Davis, and I'm an etymologist in charge of pest control for A #1 Pest Control of Baltimore.

It's hot, it's summer, and the fleas are back…One of the most important thing a person can do to prepare for the

Exterminator is to remove all unnecessary items from the floor. Shoes, clothing, baby supplies. Put them all on a bed or someplace similar.

They should vacuum all the floor areas in the house, starting with the upper floors and working their way down to the basement.  Or starting with

The floors that have the least problems and work their way to the floors

that have the most problem, and generally that's the basement. You want to vacuum all the carpet areas and all the linoleum and hardwood areas.

Fleas are very easily transported, and their mode of activity is that when they latch on to a person, in motion,  and they are attracted to light, motion and sound, they will then bite, drink a supply of blood, promptly fall off their host. They may fall off their host on a carpeted area, they

may fall off their host on the hardwood floor, or on concrete cement for that matter. Prior to extermination, vacuum those areas, regardless of the fact, that it is not carpeted. Please, vacuum first. When a light insecticide would be applied in your house it will be over all the floor areas, .If it is a 9x12 room, not just the baseboards but over the entire 9x12 room. And each room is done, underneath the bed behind dressers, wherever flea and flea eggs can be, that's where a light coating of insecticide will go. This process takes about 45 minutes, and it dries in about 45 minutes. It is a contact kill, so it will kill any fleas that are present, But the spray also leave a residual, so if you have eggs that hatch following the treatment, they will be killed off by the

light residual film that remains. Do not vacuum these floors for 48 hours after treatment has been rendered,

But thereafter, one does want to vacuum every 2-3 days, for at least a week.  This will in fact remove any of the eggs that are hatched, or any weakened fleas that might be embedded in the carpet. Vacuuming after that time will pull those out.  If all things are done according to plan, you can be successfully,

be treated for fleas in one treatment. Thank-you, have a good day.

Mod: Dovid, thank you for that very thorough explanation of what people have to do to prepare for the exterminator.

Correct me, if I am wrong, but it seems to me that compared to other types of pests

That with fleas householders have to do more on their own to prepare for the exterminator

Dovid: Actually bedbugs are the worst, because they get into every little area of the house. Fleas will hop on you when you walk into their territory, whereas bedbugs do not come out to you. But fleas can be difficult. And you actually have

Two species of fleas, dog fleas and cat fleas. And cat fleas are harder to get rid of. I would say you should wait a week after treatment

To see if all fleas have in fact been eradicated.

Mod: And I take it that if the fleas aren't eradicated with the first treatment that you will be willing to go back out to their house and retreate.

Dovid: Yes, we give a free second treatment, if necessary.

Mod: Okay, well thank-you Dovid, and that's it for another episode of Day in the Life of Dovid Davis, pest specialist. Good buy, and have a pest free day.