(Posted on another forum from 2004 so I presume there's no copyright)
To rid a property of fleas is not quite as simple as it might seem especially to the customer who just thinks its a case of spraying the dog/cat and thats it.
If you see the fleas in there grown state then that means that you are only seeing about 2% of what is actually present in the home.
The customer needs some convincing of this and montitoring the situation over a period of time is called for.
If its a dog or cat infestation I ask the client to lay a white sheet down and get the animal to lie on it for at least ten minutes that usualy does the trick.Once they see the little buggers hoping around all over the place they are usually convinced they need some major work.
Fleas can lay dormant for many years and the way to activate them is by vibration so get hoovering and give it a major hoover to remove any larvae that may be present.Pay particular attention to areas around the edge of the room and the area where the pet lies.
Then HWE extract the carpet or some other similar system at high temperature, I know some of you have already said that this can help stimulate further flea activity, thats great and just what you want to rid the home properly of all fleas,larvae etc.
A recall will be required in a few days to apply Boric Acid powder to the carpet and to brush it in completley (you can use your Sebo for this).Customer can vacuum as normal after 48 hrs
It will still take 1-2 weeks for the infestation to completly clear but this should do the trick if not apply more Boric Acid and repeat brushing in.
I have found this system to work to customers complete satisfaction but can be costly so explain this first.
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The main problem I have found with fleas is when the pet moves out.
The fleas now have nowhere to go so they pick on poor humans
If the house is empty for a while the fleas will die but their eggs will remain dormant.These will hatch when they feel vibration i.e people/animals walking on the carpet.
If your customer looks after her pet there should not be any fleas and if you decide to take on the job, HWE then use 25 % w/w permethrin based flea killer , which should be sprayed around the edges of the carpet and left.
Obviously make sure no babies are going to be crawling on the carpet in next few days.
The important point to make is that although the customer may think there are no fleas their pet may have them.When there is no pet the problems start.
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Bear in mind also that in the case of fleas, a single application is not normaly sufficient as most insecticides will not harm the eggs - so it needs to be re-applied after any eggs have hatched -twice the chance of something going wrong.
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I insist that any pet be treated at the beginning of the carpet treatment.
I further stipulate that cats are not allowed out until the treatment is complete.
For the benefit of those not in the know, boric acid is effective against the lava, but not against the eggs. A pet can bring in adult fleas and their eggs and since the normal incubation period is 10-14 days much of the acid powder could be removed from the carpet by the time the re-introduced eggs hatch.
