How to get rid of rat fleas in an apartment

Fleas are very dangerous and the most common parasites on the planet. They have incredible vitality and an amazing breeding rate. These blood sucking insects parasitize on warm-blooded animals and successfully settle in a human dwelling. Rat fleas in an apartment are not uncommon, and such a neighborhood poses a serious threat to human life and health.

Species features, habitat

Rat fleas are small wingless insects reaching 2-4 mm in length. Life cycle These parasites are very short, therefore they have strong adaptability and increased resistance to adverse conditions.

Rat fleas, or as they are also called “mouse fleas,” is the common name for all insects that parasitize small rodents, but the most common species is the southern southern flea.

Rat fleas (photo below) are introduced into the house of a person by small rodents, such as a mouse or rat. Parasites that infiltrate a house or apartment quickly find secluded places to lay eggs.

Important!

The distribution centers of rat fleas are dark, unventilated corners, voids under baseboards, and bedding for pets.

In a favorable environment, the egg develops rapidly and soon a larva hatches from it. The rat flea larva feeds on rotting animal hair, bits of debris, or the excrement of adult fleas. After reaching the adult stage, the parasite finds a warm-blooded host for food.

Rats and the mouse - The most frequent visitors to the hidden trash corners of human housing, abandoned basements, attics, so they are the ones who are infected with parasites in the first place.

Rat fleas feed not only at the expense of small rodents, any warm-blooded animal or person will suit them successfully.

On a note!

The insect is not constantly on the host’s body, it uses the carrier only to get drunk with blood, and then leaves it in search of new places for laying eggs.

Fleas in rats are not susceptible to temperature fluctuations; they can be in a sedentary state for a long time and wait for the victim. In search of food, they penetrate through shallow gaps from the lower tiers of the structure to the upper, gradually occupying a larger territory.

Rat fleas have no wings, but they have excellent jumping ability and are able to travel long distances to attach to the victim’s body. The jointed limbs of fleas are equipped with sharp hooks that help to stay on the animal’s hair and even on the smooth body of a person. So the pest is transported over long distances, expanding its habitat.

Danger to humans and animals

There is a misconception that fleas do not bite a person. In most cases, a small parasite is much easier to cling to the animal than to humans. But if the pests settled in the dwelling of people and hatched offspring, then any warm-blooded creatures become their victims.

Rat fleas stand out among other parasites of the largest danger to people. Bite this arthropod is extremely painful.This type of flea does not inject an analgesic enzyme when it pierces the skin, so living things always feel when they are bitten.

Most often, animals strongly comb the place of the bite, thereby deepening the wounds and even more infect themselves with the infection contained in the saliva of the parasite.

The protein that is contained in the injected enzymes causes a person to have severe allergies, as can be seen in the photo.

Symptoms of a bite:

• temperature rise;
• severe itching and burning;
• skin rashes;
• nape pain and nervous breakdowns;
• squeezing in the chest, difficulty breathing;
• diarrhea;
• vomiting

Rat flea bites are extremely dangerous. Parasites are carriers of dangerous bacteria and viruses. Among the many infections transmitted by these insects, the most dangerous is the plague stick.

This is a fatal infection, and it causes epidemics with a large number of human victims. There are many facts recorded in history when rat fleas became the cause of mass deaths. In addition to the plague, rat fleas cause other fatal diseases:

• tularemia;
• salmonellosis;
• encephalitis;
• brucellosis;
• rat typhus;
• anthrax.

For pets, these parasites are also extremely dangerous. On their body and jointed limbs they carry helminth eggs and spread them over the skin of the victims. When combing bites, animals infect themselves with worms and eggs of mouse tapeworm.

Decorative rats, mice, hamsters and gerbils suffer greatly from the bites of blood-sucking insects and constantly comb the affected areas of the skin. Over time, the animals become restless, they have a loss of appetite and weight loss. And infections and parasites that penetrated through the wounds inside animals cause dangerous diseases and often lead to death.

Ways to deal with rat fleas

The most important way to protect against rat fleas (mouse fleas) in your home is to prevent infectious diseases and keep your home in good health.

In the case of detection of foci of rat fleas in the home, it is necessary to wet clean all surfaces and hard-to-reach spots using insecticides. It is necessary to immediately destroy the bedding from pets, to carry out cleaning in their cages. The animals themselves must be treated with special sprays or shampoos from parasites. Drops at the withers can be used, such as:

• Celandine;
• Barrier;
• Dana Ultra Neo;
• Inspector;
• Blokhnet.

However, for small pets, the dosage must be carefully observed.

The best way to get rid of arthropod parasites is to call at home the employees of a specialized insect control organization to conduct integrated housing processing. Specialists know better how to get rid of rat fleas in an apartment.

If infection with insects has not taken alarming proportions, then processing can be done independently at home. The most effective remedies are:

1. Get (800 rubles.) A modern drug that destroys not only fleas, but also their larvae.
2. Medilis Ziper (300 rub.) A comprehensive tool for the destruction of parasites.
3. Delta Zone (600 rub.) Contains deltamethrin, which infects the nervous system of insects and lasts up to 8 weeks.
4. Pyrethrum (400 rub.) Dust of plant origin. Effective against larvae.
5. Tsifoks (300 rubles) A ​​drug with a long exposure period. It is odorless. Suitable for preventative sanitary measures.
6. Ram (400 rub.) Strong insecticide. Destroys all types of fleas and their offspring.
7. Stronghold (450 rub.) Drops on the withers for pets. Effective against most parasites.

To avoid re-infection, it is necessary to conduct insecticide treatment of basements, attics, common areas.In apartment buildings, it is desirable to carry out processing at the neighbors, as fleas easily move between apartments.

It is equally important to carry out measures to destroy rats and mice in basements, office rooms and garbage chutes. Otherwise, rodents will again become carriers of dangerous pests and the effectiveness of all preventive measures will decrease sharply.

It is very important to treat fleas in all domestic animals and completely replace their bedding.

For the effectiveness of measures taken, you can use folk methods:

• put in the apartment wormwood bushes and tansy;
• treat the surface with pharmacy tincture of wormwood.

If the insect managed to bite a person, then the affected areas must be thoroughly disinfected. Suitable for this:

• hydrogen peroxide;
• brilliant green;
• iodine;
• alcohol lotion.

This will help prevent infection from getting into the wound and stop the complication.

In case of reddening of bite sites and severe burning, the victim is given an antihistamine. If the temperature rises, lethargy or swelling should immediately call a doctor.

For the successful fight against rat fleas, not only the means of destruction, but also preventive measures are important. A lasting, lasting effect is achieved only with an integrated approach to the problem.