Tick"s And Flea"s Not Just A Summer Time Problem Pest

OSU Tick and Flea Control Has charts and pictures to help you identify tick’s and fleas.

This Information is Valid anywhere you find ticks or fleas.

Flea and Tick Control Tips
for Dogs and Cats
Tulsa County
O.S.U. Cooperative Extension Center

Common Dog Tick

Family pets bring great happiness to our lives. However dogs, cats and their owners suffer great discomfort when fleas and ticks enter the picture. So here’s the scoop on managing fleas and ticks.

Both ticks and fleas can be a year-round problem in Oklahoma. Various species of ticks exist here and, as a result, are never all hatching at one time. Fleas persist due to so many pets living indoors, providing an ideal climate for year-round breeding of this insect pest.

With recent breakthroughs in flea and tick control, pets can lead happy pest-free lives.

Flea and tick control can be achieved by using Integrated Pest Management or (IPM) techniques. This means using good sanitation, such as mowing yards and vacuuming homes, to reduce flea and tick populations. It also means understanding the flea life cycle. Although adult fleas make up only 5% of a flea infestation, pesticides have traditionally targeted this part of the life cycle. The remaining 95% consists of eggs, larvae and pupae. Flea offspring must be targeted if they are to be controlled or eliminated.

WHY CONTROL FLEAS AND TICKS?

Fleas are not just a nuisance to us and our pets. They also carry intestinal parasites, such as the dog tapeworm, that can be passed on to the animal. A single flea bite can cause flea- allergy dermatitis on sensitive pets, leading to serious skin infections. Ticks carry many diseases that affect both humans and pets. Heavy populations of these blood sucking pests weaken animals. Older, less vigorous animals suffer more quickly from fleas and ticks.

THINKING LIKE A FLEA

Our worst flea pest is the cat flea ( Ctenocephalides felis ). Fleas need a blood meal to survive. Their favorite hosts around the house and yard are dogs, cats, squirrels and other warm blooded mammals. If people are being bitten by fleas in a house where pets are present then a very high population is present. For every six fleas seen, there are 300 adult fleas actually present. If animals are not present, fleas will opt to hop onto humans. They thrive best in indoor climates.

The presence of adult fleas is just the tip of the iceberg. There are actually many more flea eggs, larvae and pupa just waiting to become adults. Targeting only adult forms of fleas is not at all effective. Long-term, effective flea control is best achieved by use of products that target flea adults and their young.
Flea adult taking a blood meal, excreting bloody material that dries to become “flea dirt”.

Fleas can be controlled with a three step program of treating the pet, their sleeping areas and the moist, shady areas outside of our homes.

Common Deer Tick

Residents living in rural areas should check pets daily for tick infestation. Examine the entire animal, especially around the ears and face. Some ticks, such as the Brown Dog tick, can be found in specific areas of the animal. The brown dog tick adult is most often found in the ears and between the toes. After their eggs hatch, larvae and nymphs are found in the long fur at the back of the neck.

Wash pet bedding in hot, soapy water and thoroughly clean areas frequented by pets, vacuuming carpeted areas and mopping hardwood and tile floors. Treat premises with products labeled for indoor use. Newly hatched fleas live most successfully indoors as they prefer areas out of sunlight, temperatures of 70°-90° F. and high humidity.

Flea eggs drop into carpet and hatch into larvae. These larvae live on organic debris that is in carpeting. They also survive between the cracks of hardwood floors and along baseboards. After feeding for several days, they become a pupa, wrapped in a silken cocoon that is pesticide resistant.

Common Wood Tick

Use an outdoor flea and tick control product in problem areas. Note that methoprene breaks down quickly outdoors. Use products containing pyriproxyfen as an outdoor insect development inhibitor.

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