What To Do If You Find A Flea Nest In Your Home

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Have you noticed bites around your ankles or your pets scratching excessively? Perhaps you've moved into a new home and started scratching within days. These are all signs that you might have a flea problem (we challenge you not to start itching involuntarily just at the thought). Fleas are small parasites that can't fly but can jump as far as 19 inches. This is in spite of the fact that they only measure around an eighth of an inch in length. Although fleas tend to be more common in homes with pets, they can also hitch a ride inside on your clothes, particularly if you have a lot of wildlife around your home that they can live on.

Flea nests are usually found in undisturbed, warm, dark spaces such as the crevices of carpets, rugs, and upholstery, in your pet's bedding, or even in small cracks in the floorboards and walls, and will appear to the human eye as an area of debris. If fleas have started to nest in your home, you'll likely need to try natural remedies or call in professionals to deal with the problem. But you have to act quickly. An adult flea can lay up to 50 eggs each day, which can then hatch within another couple of days.

For many of us, the first sign of fleas are bites in the form of a cluster or line of visible red or pink bumps, smaller than the size of mosquito bites, and with a bite mark in the middle. You may also spot adult fleas as they jump around the house. If you look closely at areas where you've found fleas, you may also see small white and black dots, with the white being the flea eggs and the black being flea feces, along with tiny white worm-like creatures — flea larvae.

If you're looking for the best ways to get rid of fleas in your home, there are a number of options to consider. Vacuum up all visible fleas, eggs, and flea dirt (flea droppings), and you can also steam clean carpets to kill anything embedded in the carpet fibers. Make sure you wash all bedding (both human and pet) at high temperatures and start vacuuming floors and upholstery daily to ensure any stragglers are removed. 

Many people prefer to try and get rid of fleas naturally before resorting to chemicals, and one of the more effective remedies is diatomaceous earth. This is a fine powder that works by dehydrating fleas, which will eventually kill them off. However, it should be noted that this tends to only be effective on adult fleas and can't help with larvae or eggs. 

We recommend calling in professional assistance from a pest exterminator if these methods don't help. An exterminator will use a combination of vacuuming, steam cleaning, and insecticides to ensure all fleas are dealt with. Finally, pets should be treated with prescription flea medication. Afterward, an anti-flea household spray, such as Wondercide Flea and Tick Spray, will help prevent the issue from recurring, and it is safe for pets.