Pet Flea and Tick Control
in Rolling Meadows, IL

Flea infestations are the most common parasite problem in dogs and cats.

• Flea eggs are white and about the size of a grain of sand. The eggs are laid while the flea is on the pet and easily roll off the fur into the surrounding environment. Eggs usually hatch in one to ten days, depending on the temperature and humidity. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae move deeper into nearby carpets or upholstery to get away from light. Searching for food, the eggs form a cocoon and emerge in as little as 12 days or as many as 140 days. Adult fleas are attracted to house pets by the warmth of the pet’s body. Fleas have tremendously powerful back legs, which they use for jumping on the pet.
• The adult flea species that attack dogs and cats spend their entire adult life on the pet. Once the adult flea begins to feed on the pet, it must have almost constant access to the blood of the pet for it to survive. Adult fleas cannot live off the pet for more than three to four days without a blood meal.
• Female fleas can produce over 2,000 eggs during their lifetime. Even with only a fraction of these eggs developing into adults, this high rate of reproduction ensures that there will always be fleas.
• Fleas consume 15 times their body weight with every blood meal. An infestation of 220 female fleas could consume 10% of a one-pound kitten’s blood volume in one day. The majority of blood consumed is passed out as partially digested feces (“flea dirt”) that serve as essential food for flea larvae in carpets, upholstery, and other areas.