There is an entire ecosystem outside your home. In that ecosystem, there are a large variety of creatures that get around in all different ways. Most of these animals get from point A to point B on their own. But a select group use hosts in order to get from one place to another. Those are the pests we’re going to be talking about in this article or, more specifically, fleas!
Though fleas are capable of jumping an impressive distance for their size, they actually don't use that ability to get around. Instead, they jump onto passing mammals and let those mammals transport them around. This creates a symbiotic relationship between them. In the case of fleas, this symbiosis is parasitic in nature meaning the fleas do not provide any benefit to the animals they take as a host. In fact, they do the exact opposite!
Fleas are parasitic pests that need to bite their hosts in order to get the blood meals they need to survive. When they do, they can contract diseases from the animal they feed on. If the disease is zoonotic, meaning it’s able to be spread from animals to humans, it can present a significant threat to homeowners. Therefore, it’s important to understand how this works if you want to protect yourself and the others living in your home from fleas.
Bites
When fleas contract a disease, they can spread it directly to you or someone else through their bites. This can happen when fleas are carried into your home on your pet or other invading animal and an infestation takes root. While fleas prefer to feed on the blood of cats and dogs, they'll also bite humans to get the blood meals they need.
If rodents find a way into your home, they can spread flea eggs around and cause an infestation in your home. When flea infestations begin in this way, there is an even greater chance of disease since mice and rats often enter into filthy, bacteria-laden areas in search of food such as dumpsters and sewage culverts.
The diseases linked to fleas are the plague, murine typhus, bartonellosis, tularemia, flea allergy dermatitis, and more. These diseases can affect humans as well as dogs and cats. The effects of these illnesses range from minor to serious, depending on many factors.
Exposure
If your pet gets bitten by a flea and contracts an illness, your pet can then expose you to that illness as well. Some of these diseases can be spread by touching an area of skin irritation on your pet or inhaling droplets when your pet coughs. Some diseases can transfer when the saliva of your pet touches your eye or an open wound. We know it sounds gross, but these are all real threats and it’s important to be aware of them.
Since fleas bites can cause itching and scratching them can lead to open wounds, increasing the chances of these diseases being spread from pet to human. The likelihood of disease transmission is also increased because your dog or cat may only have a mild reaction to diseases that can make you seriously ill, meaning you may not even realize they have it. For example, cat scratch fever, which is caused by the bacterium Bartonella henselae, will only cause your cat to experience a mild for a few days, but it can make you very sick.
Ingestion
It may seem strange, but the parasites we call "fleas" often carry another parasite inside their bodies. Fleas commonly expose pets to tapeworms. This often happens when pets accidentally swallow a flea while grooming themselves. Fortunately, tapeworms aren't usually a big problem for pets. They generally present only mild discomfort for pets and can be easily treated. But those tapeworms can cause serious issues for humans.
Flea control
While most flea bites aren't much to worry about, there is a risk involved in having a flea infestation in your New Jersey home. That is why we strongly recommend that homeowners have a pest control professional come deal with the fleas in their home.
If you're in our New Jersey service area, there are a few ways our service professionals here at Arrow Pest Control can help you control your flea problems. For current infestations, we can apply EPA-approved products to stop the cycle of reproduction and create a flea-free environment in your home. After this is done, or before a flea infestation has a chance to take root, we can help you create a barrier around your home that is resistant to fleas and other household pests. We also provide control options for rodents, which can carry fleas inside and increase the potential for flea diseases. And the best part, this flea protection is part of our year-round residential pest control service packages! To find out which one is right for your home, reach out to us today. We’re here to help!
Home Protection Program
Service consists of the elimination of your current pest or rodent problem, complemented by both interior and exterior year-round protection of your home, which is inclusive of three seasonal visits. The program covers your entire property including attics, mailboxes, playsets, sheds, and fences.
Pests targeted with Arrow’s Home Protection Plan services include ants (excluding carpenter ants, pharaoh ants and acrobatic), bees, boxelder bugs, carpenter bees, carpet beetles, centipedes, cicada killers, clover mites, crickets, digger bees, earwigs, fabric & paper pests, fleas (inside only), ground beetles, hornets, mice, pillbugs, millipedes, rats, roaches, silverfish, sowbugs, spiders, springtails, stored product pests, and wasps.
*If you have a pool house that requires service, pricing would increase based upon the size of the structure.
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‟I have a service plan with Arrow and use them quite often. Never disappointed, always friendly and knowledgeable and come right out and address the matter. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them at all.”
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‟We have a quarterly service plan with Arrow. They are not only focused on addressing issues they put preventative measures in place to prevent issues from happening, like looking for and sealing the places where bugs can get into the home. The team are professional, friendly, thorough and provide details about every step of their process. We have had several different technicians over the last 2 years and each follows the same process and guidelines. Definitely recommend for treatment and prevention.”
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‟My family has used Arrow since the early 80's. In our new home we use them as well. Jason came yesterday and did a great job. Thanks again for your great service to our community!”
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‟Best customer service and the owner is the most honest business man. He will tell you the truth and not scam you like the rest of the big named pest control companies. Highly recommend Arrow has my business for life.”
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‟I used Arrow Pest Control for the first time today and I was totally satisfied, I reached out to them on Sunday and spoke to Beatrice and she set me up an appointment for Monday morn for an estimate and Monday afternoon the technician came and serviced my house.....I wish I could have gave them 10 stars, very helpful, right to the point, very professional, on time and no games.....I highly recommend arrow pest control in Morganville.......thank you J.F.”
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‟With Covid hitting everyone, the exterminator that helped us was respectful of the safety with a mask, boots and gloves. He was very informative and explained everything as he did it.”
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‟We’ve been using Arrow for the last 4 years. We have a monthly plan, so they come and service the interior and exterior regularly. We can also call them anytime for anything we see...wasp, wasp nests, rodents, ants, whatever...our coverage literally includes the mailbox at the curb all the way to the furthest point of our backyard fence and everything in between. All the technicians we’ve had, including Jason, were friendly and knowledgeable. But, Jason, goes above and beyond with his service and willingness to do more for his customers. Highly recommend Arrow Pest Control!”
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‟Tom is amazing! Arrow is the best company! Love their services. They truly care about their clients. ”
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‟Today was my first appointment with Arrow and Jason made everything seamless and efficient. Not only was he knowledgeable, he took his time explaining everything to me which proved he cared. I’m happy to have found Arrow and will continue to request Jason for my services! Thank you!”
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‟All the professional qualities a business such as Arrow Pest Control would expect a service technician to exhibit, Brian, effortlessly presented. From my standpoint, he offered GOLD STAR ”
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‟Recommended to us by neighbors, Arrow arrived promptly to treat our new to us home. The house is built on a slab which small ants love to nest in.
Their program is such that they return til the problem is solved. Today was their third visit. Steve was very thorough, professional and had a great sense of humor. I am hoping not to see him again this season! I would recommend based on our current relationship.
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‟I’m so happy we went with Arrow! We had been using another pest control company and still had a lot of spiders and crickets!! We switched to Arrow and after the first use with them, all the bugs were gone. They do a great job, very thorough, professional, friendly and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend using their services if you have any bug issues!”
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‟We were very pleased with how easy it was to schedule a first appointment with Rob and how reassuring and thorough his inspection was. A few hours later Josh arrived for the first treatment and was professional and took the time to answer all our questions. We didn’t hesitate to sign-up for Home Protection Program after seeing the quality and level of service we will receive.”
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‟Arrow and Brian with Arrow were amazing! He came same day when we heard scary noises in our attic. He found mice and a loose wire and even took a photo so we could see. He worked hard to crawl into a tiny space and we are so appreciate!! We can sleep tonight thanks to him.”
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‟Extremely professional and always on time. I was having an issue with mice and decided to call Arrow. They were able to get here next day and have an inspection. I set up with one of their monthly contracts and they were out to my home once a week continuously monitoring the situation until it was fully taken care of. I truly couldn’t recommend them more.”
