If you’ve ever owned a dog or a cat, you’re probably all-too-familiar with the fact that your furry friend’s scratching can be a cause for alarm. It can mean that your home is about to get infested by those irritating tiny parasites — fleas. But can humans carry fleas from one home to another? The answer is, unfortunately, yes.
Why You Don’t Want Fleas In Your Home
Before we move on to how you might carry fleas to another house, perhaps we should get to know them a little better. If you’ve had a flea problem, you might have noticed tiny itchy bumps on your body, reminiscent of mosquito bites. Fleas leave these when they feed on your blood. Since they are parasites, you and your pets are their primary source of food.
Although flea bites on their own are little more than an annoyance, fleas are one of the major causes of disease in the world. Most of these are skin diseases — irritating and difficult to cure, but not dangerous. However, having a flea-infested home puts you at risk of contracting murine typhus, or even the plague, both of which are now curable, but serious illnesses.
And as if this wasn’t enough, fleas reproduce and multiply surprisingly quickly. In just two days, a single flea can lay up to fifty eggs. Soon enough, those eggs will be ready to multiply too, and before you know it, you’re dealing with thousands of fleas. Pretty horrifying, isn’t it?
How People Carry Fleas To Other Homes
Imagine that your cat has been scratching for a while now, but you’ve attributed it to regular cat behavior. You don’t realize that several dozens of fleas have already taken up residence in your home, and you go about your life as you normally do. A week later, your friend, who has no pets, tells you about a sudden appearance of fleas in her house. How did this happen?
Unfortunately, the most likely culprit is you. Humans have no fur, so they aren’t usually flea carriers, but they do wear clothes and shoes. Since fleas are very small, it’s easy for them to attach to clothes without being noticed and hitch a ride to another host. Essentially, these little parasites can use you as a vehicle.
Three Ways To Get Rid Of Fleas
If you’ve found yourself surrounded by fleas, don’t worry — here is some advice on how to deal with them as quickly as possible.
1. Treat Your Pets
Start from the source. Make sure to get your pets properly cleaned by using special anti-flea shampoos. Pets like cats sometimes respond to better anti-flea remedies. And if this doesn’t work, perhaps a trip to the vet is in order. They will recommend the kind of product you can use to solve your pet’s flea troubles. Remember also that it’s always worth having a pet insurance policy in place in case of unexpected illness or injury. Pet insurance companies like Bivvy can help lessen the amount of money you spend on your regular visits to the vet.
2. Clean The House
Once fleas enter the house, they might end up on your carpets, sofas, and all sorts of soft furniture. The only way to get rid of them entirely is to thoroughly clean the house. Sometimes just vacuuming and then cleaning out the vacuum bag will be enough. But in other cases, a deep cleaning might be in order.
3. Wash Your Clothes
You don’t want to risk carrying fleas over to someone else’s home, so you have to carefully wash all your clothes and shoes that might have been exposed. You may want to use anti-flea sprays or repellents for additional protection.
Conclusion
So can humans carry fleas from one home to another? Yes, they absolutely can. But you don’t have to avoid visiting your pet-owner friends for fear of infestation. Just make sure to take good care of your clothes and shoes, and you will be just fine.
If you do find that your home has a flea infestation, it’s best to leave it to the professionals. By getting in contact with a professional pest control company, you can ensure that the fleas won’t return. If you’re looking for insect control or Birmingham Rodent Control, we’d recommend getting in contact with The Busters Group. With years of experience, they’re a professional company that will identify, remove and prevent pests from taking over your home. Their services include bird, rodent, insect and fly removal. If you have a pest issue, get in touch with them today for more information!
