Flea control in Fourways homes and gardens

Flea control in Fourways only works when the house, the garden and the pets are treated at the same time. Adult fleas on the dog are a small part of the problem; most of the population is eggs, larvae and pupae in carpets, bedding and shady soil. We treat those areas and tell you what your vet needs to do.

Why we get so many flea calls in Fourways

Dogs are part of life in most Fourways estates and complexes, often more than one per home. Gardens are irrigated, shaded by decks and pergolas, and planted with thick ground cover, which is exactly where flea larvae develop best. Warm, humid summer weather speeds the whole cycle up, so a few fleas in October can be a houseful by December.

The other big source is moving house. Fourways has a lot of rental stock, and people move between complexes and estates often. When a home with pets stands empty, flea pupae sit in the carpets and the cracks between floor tiles, sometimes for weeks, waiting for vibration and warmth. The moment new tenants walk in, they hatch together and go looking for a meal. That's why so many calls start with "we've only just moved in and we don't even have a dog".

How to know it's fleas

• Small, itchy bites mostly around the ankles and lower legs
• Pets scratching, biting at their back near the tail, or losing fur
• Tiny dark insects jumping onto white socks when you walk across the carpet
• Black specks in the pet's bedding or coat that turn reddish on a damp paper towel (flea dirt)
• Bites that get worse after you've been away and come back

Bites in lines on the arms and shoulders, especially in bed, point more towards bed bugs than fleas.

The life cycle is why DIY struggles

A flea lays eggs on the animal, and they fall off wherever the pet lies, walks or sleeps. They hatch into larvae that hide deep in carpets, under furniture, in cracks and in shaded soil under the deck. The larvae spin cocoons, and inside those cocoons the pupae are protected from almost every treatment. They can wait a long time before emerging.

So if you only treat the dog, new fleas keep hatching in the house and jumping straight back on. If you only spray the lounge, the fleas in the garden and the car come back in on the dog. Treating everything at once, and keeping it up for a few weeks, is what breaks the cycle.

What we do

1. Find where the pets spend time. Beds, couches, favourite rugs, the car, under the deck, the shady side of the house, the kennel.
2. Treat inside. A residual, non-staining treatment on carpets, rugs, under furniture and along skirting boards and tile joints in all affected rooms.
3. Treat outside. Shady areas, under decks and pergolas, along walls, kennels and the spots where the dogs lie.
4. Coordinate with your vet. We don't treat animals. Your vet should put your pets on a flea product on the same day, so that every flea that hatches dies when it jumps on.

You don't need to leave home. Keep children and pets out of treated rooms and off the lawn until everything is dry, usually a couple of hours.

Before we arrive

• Vacuum thoroughly, including under furniture and along skirting boards, then empty the vacuum outside.
• Wash pet bedding, throws and cushion covers on a hot wash.
• Pick up toys, shoes and clothing from the floor.
• Book the vet so pets are treated the same day.

Keep vacuuming every day or two for the next couple of weeks. The vibration triggers pupae to hatch, so they come out and meet the treatment rather than waiting.

What people often get wrong

Expecting fleas to vanish the day after treatment. For a week or two you'll still see some, because pupae keep hatching. Those fleas die after contact with the treated surfaces, so don't wash or mop the treated floors for a few days, and don't panic and spray over the top with something else.

A Fourways tip

If you're moving into a rental or a newly bought home where the previous owners had pets, arrange a flea treatment before you move your furniture in. An empty house is quicker to treat, and you avoid the first-week bites entirely. The space under timber decks, which dogs love on hot afternoons, is worth treating every summer too.

What flea treatment costs, and why

The price depends on the size of the house, how many rooms are affected, how large the garden area to be treated is, and whether a follow-up is needed for a heavy infestation. A townhouse with one dog is a modest job; a large estate home with several dogs, kennels and a big garden takes longer. Our price guide for pest control shows where flea treatments start. If you've caught it early and your vet's product is working, regular vacuuming may be all you need.

Fleas and ticks often go together on dogs that walk in the veld; see tick control in Fourways. For the wider picture, read about flea control across Johannesburg. We also treat fleas in Bryanston, homes and plots in Chartwell, and all the suburbs on our Fourways pest control page.

We're a SAPCA-registered company, registered with the Department of Agriculture, with 25 years in the trade and service within 24 hours, and flea treatments carry a 3-month guarantee. Call 084 200 2700, or WhatsApp us and we'll talk you through what to do before we come.