Flea and Tick Control

HOW DO THESE PARASITES WORK?

A parasite is an organism that benefits from its host but gives nothing positive in return.  Fleas and ticks fit this bill.  Before we can talk about flea and tick control, we have to talk about the life cycle and where these parasites usually live.  You have to know and understand your enemy!

Insects have four phases of development which can be seen in the above drawing:

• Egg
• Larvae
• Pupae
• Adult

All insects have the same life cycle.  In the case of fleas and ticks, moisture is king.  Without water there is no life.  The eastern third of the United States from the Mississippi River east is extremely wet and humid.  Here you will find huge populations of mosquitoes, ticks and fleas.  Out in the western states, it is much drier and the flea population is much smaller.  There are so many species of ticks that they can be found just about anywhere but nothing compared to the northern tier of the U.S. The southeastern states also have a high tick population.

Dogs and cats pick up fleas from other animals.  Those animals may not only be domestic but wild also!!  Any mammal can carry fleas.  Fleas are blood suckers and do not care what species of animal gets bit.  Even this blood sucking is dangerous.  It can cause a flea anemia and severely debilitate any young animal.  In the dog, fleas are normally found on the posterior part of the back and in the groin area.  They can be anywhere but those are the “hot spots”.  Fleas only spend a fraction of the time on a dog.  They get their blood meal and fall off.  When they bite the dog some of its saliva penetrates the animals skin.  This saliva contains a protein and it is this protein that makes a dog itch and scratch for hours.  A sensitive dog only needs the bite of one flea to develop severe flea bite dermatitis.  In this case fleas may not be found but the tell tale signs of flea manure are present.  I have always told clients to look for something that looks like grains of pepper.  This is what flea manure looks like.

Ticks are a different matter.  They love to hang out in tall grasses and in deep woods.  They have an uncanny ability to smell carbon dioxide around them.  Carbon dioxide is the byproduct of respiration (and water) that is given off by people and animals.  When a person or pet walks by, the tick will latch on to the individual and get a free ride home.  At the same time the female will get her blood meal from her victim and swell up.  In the dog, male ticks are usually found in the ear canal.  They are much smaller than the female.