THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 16, 1995 TAG: 9507140070
SECTION: HOME & GARDEN PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY ELLEN MILES, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: Long : 187 lines
NOW THAT SUMMER'S here, so are those familiar pests - fleas and ticks. And thanks to the mild winter, the flea problem seems worse than usual this year, according to pet groomers in the area.
``We're selling an awful lot of flea products,'' says Angie Fanello, sales associate at the Virginia Beach Care-A-Lot store.
Because of Virginia's temperate climate, flea infestations can persist year-round, says Dr. James Kollar, veterinarian at Princess Anne Veterinary Clinic. Typical winters do not freeze the ground enough to kill fleas, and high humidity increases the problem.
Once fleas infest a house, it's quite a struggle to control them, much less eradicate them.
The first step is to admit your home or pet has fleas. ``It's like trying to get an alcoholic to admit he has a problem,'' Kollar says.
There are some simple questions to ask yourself: Is your pet dancing around, scratching or gnawing itself? Have you noticed bites on your ankles? Does your pet have bald patches? Can you see ``black dots'' jumping around on your pet or in your house? If so, you probably have a flea problem.
To determine how bad the problem is, put your pet on a white towel and run your fingers roughly through its hair, or use a brush or comb. Do black dots (fleas) fall on the towel? Another test is to put a pie plate of soapy water on the floor with a light bulb hung about 6 inches over the water before going to bed. In the morning, if you see a bunch of fleas doing the back float, you will have an idea how serious the infestation is, Kollar says.
Humans and animals are affected by fleas, and both may suffer allergic reactions to bites. If pets eat fleas, they may get tapeworms or intestinal parasites. If something that looks like rice appears around a pet's backside, it's a sign of tapeworm, and the animal needs to be treated.
It's easy to tell if a person has been bitten by fleas. There will be a little red area with two to three bites and one central puncture mark, says Dr. Deborah Waller, an entomologist and professor of biological sciences at Old Dominion University.
Fleas can enter a home in various ways, and even residences without pets can be infested. Fleas may be a carryover from previous occupants - they can live quite a while with only a real estate agent to gnaw on. Fleas also can hop from a lawn onto a person and hitch a ride inside.
They can be brought home after a visit to a flea-infested house, or stray animals with fleas may drop a few off at the doorstep. If a pet travels with you or is boarded while you vacation, the pet may return with fleas.
People want the problem fixed quickly - ``just like a flat tire,'' says Kollar, ``and that's just not the way it is. It takes time.''
To get rid of fleas, their life cycle must be stopped. ``You have to go after the eggs, the larvae and the adults,'' Kollar says. ``We need to understand there's a control process - not a cure process.''
Fleas have evolved for more than 100 million years, and there may be as many as 2,000 varieties of fleas worldwide, Waller says, with at least 250 species in the United States. Fleas attack warm-blooded animals, sucking their blood to exist and reproduce. Though fleas are only a couple of millimeters in length, their long, powerful legs enable them to leap about 8 inches vertically and as much as 16 inches horizontally.
In Hampton Roads, the varieties common to household environments are human, dog, cat and rat fleas. The fleas, however, don't care which animal is their host and will infest any warm-blooded creature. Rat fleas caused the death of more than a third of the population of Europe as carriers of bubonic plague.
The flea's life cycle is variable and intricate, largely dependent on temperature and food supply. The female lays white, oval eggs with an incubation period ranging from two days to two weeks, Waller says. The favored conditions seem to be warm temperatures and high humidity. A male and female flea and their offspring may produce 20,000 ``flea babies'' within three months.
Prime spots for depositing eggs are pet bedding, rugs, carpets and upholstered furniture.
The larvae are thin, yellow-white, bristly and active. They eat microscopic meals of dried blood and debris, such as decaying plant and animal matter. The larvae are 3 to 4 millimeters long. They molt within two to 200 days; the older larvae spin cocoons in which they remain for as little as one day or as long as a year. In the cocoon stage, fleas are invulnerable to insecticide and even to freezing temperatures.
At adulthood, a fed dog flea may live longer than a year; if unfed, it lives about two months.
Although ``miracle flea cures'' are a booming business, there is no easy solution. One new product called ``Program'' has gained some support from veterinarians. It works by getting in adult fleas and interrupting the life cycle by prohibiting births. Other treatments are needed to kill the adult fleas.
It is ``the first and only drug so far to have absolutely no contraindications'' for cats or dogs, Kollar says. It is available as a monthly pill for dogs, costing about $5 per pill, and will soon come out in liquid form for cats.
Kollar and Waller generally don't recommend chemical insecticides. In addition to being harsh on the environment, insecticides used outside get washed away by rain.
``I think controlling the interior is definitely superior to outside,'' Kollar says.
Some garden experts, however, say Sevin insecticide helps reduce flea and tick populations in lawns, and some formulations can be sprayed on infested pets and their bedding. Another product that can be used is Dursban, available in microencapsulation form, which lasts longer and has a low toxicity rating. Home and garden centers sell Dursban under the brands of Scotts, Enforcer, Greenlight, K-Gro and Dexol products.
Waller favors environmentally sound insect growth regulator (IGR) products, which can be used in the home and yard and interrupt the life cycle of fleas by preventing young from being hatched.
Fanello says customers at Care-A-Lot are showing an increased interest in non-toxic products. Microscopic round worms called nematodes, some of which prey on insect larvae, are becoming popular, she notes.
But Waller urges caution if you're treating your home or lawn yourself.
Many people insist that household products, such as garlic, brewer's yeast, Avon's Skin-So-Soft, Borax soap and Pine Sol, get rid of unwanted pests. But there is no scientific evidence that any of these products are effective in fighting fleas, and they may be harmful, if misused.
Whatever treatment you choose, persistence is key to control, Kollar says.
``Fleas have no boundaries,'' he notes. ``A carpet is a perfectly wonderful place for them to live. If you're going to treat the house, you must treat all of it, including moving the furniture on the rug.'' The same goes for pet bedding, which must be treated underneath, inside and around, as well as on top.
Sprays and powders with pyrethrin, a natural insecticide, have been proven helpful, but no product is 100 percent effective. It's best to use several products and don't follow the same formula each year, because effectiveness may decrease.
Ticks are less of a problem for most urban dwellers, but they can be cause for concern if you live in or visit wooded, rural areas with abundant wildlife, says Dr. Daniel E. Sonenshine, biologist and professor of biological sciences at Old Dominion University and author of ``The Biology of Ticks, Volumes I and II.''
There are about 850 varieties of ticks worldwide, with at least 50 types in the United States, Sonenshine says. The most common ticks here are the American Dog and the Lone Star ticks, he says.
``A tick's function is to suck blood,'' Kollar says. And although they feed primarily on wild animals, ticks will dine on nearby pets and people.
``Personal protection is the best protection,'' he says. ``Ideally, your pants should be tucked into your shoes or boots, with tape forming a tight seal so things can't crawl off the vegetation and get inside your pant legs. If you aren't able to do this, at least tape your pant legs to your ankles, sealing them off.''
Repellents provide the next line of defense. Products proven effective contain DEET, short for diethyl toluamide, a colorless, oily liquid, with a mild odor. Another effective repellent with a low toxicity for vertebrates is ``Permanone,'' which contains the tick-killing agent called permethrin.
Ticks embed themselves in the skin when they bite and are usually easy to spot because there will be a red area or rash surrounding the tick, which looks like a black dot.
Deer ticks can transmit Lyme disease to humans and dogs, although a vaccine is now available to prevent the disease in dogs. Only about 100 people a year contract Lyme disease in Virginia, but the inflammatory disease can cause crippling arthritis and damage to the heart and nervous system. The first sign is usually the rash, which shows up in two to 30 days after the bite and can grow to between 6 and 12 inches across. Then many people get flu-like symptoms - fever, aching joints, sore throat. Lyme disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics, if diagnosed early.
Quick removal of ticks will prevent Lyme disease. It takes about 24 hours for the disease to be transmitted. If you find a tick, gently pull it out with tweezers, being sure to get the whole tick out, including its head.
Ticks also can cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, but fewer than 30 Virginians per year are usually stricken, Sonenshine says.
June and July normally are the worst months for tick bites, so it's important to be on the lookout. MEMO: TIPS FOR FIGHTING FLEAS
Vaccuum [vacuum] carpets, rugs and upholstered areas regularly with a
clean bag, especailly in and around pet bedding and your pet's favorite
areas.
Keep your pet will-groomed. Look for fleas and ticks, expecially in
the ears.
Wash your pet's bedding, couch covers, bed spreads.
Keep your yard trimmed, especially near the house and around doors.
This should lessen the number of critters entering your home on you or
your pets.
Place towels on your pet's favorite spots and wash them at least
weekly.
When you use any flea product, be sure to follow the directions.
HOW TO AVOID TICKS
Don't go outdoors barefoot.
If you go through high grasses, cover your legs, feet and arms.
Use insect repellent to chase away bugs.
Check for ticks every night. Check all parts of the body, especially
the hair. ILLUSTRATION: Color drawing by Janet Shaughnessy, Staff
Color photos by Gary C. Knapp
...common dog flea and dog tick...
by CNB