Flea control service generally involves indoor (91 percent) and outdoor (78 percent) treatments, found the 2022 PCT State of the Flea Control Market survey. One third (33 percent) of pest control companies also include follow-up inspections in their flea control protocol.

When Bug Out Pest Solutions gets a call for flea control, it’s often for a major infestation. “Usually it’s multiple treatments; at a minimum of two, sometimes three applications. Generally, it’s an inside and outside problem,” said Trey Howard.

Most PMPs (88 percent) rely on a combination of general use insecticide and insect growth regulator (IGR) as their primary treatment regimen for controlling fleas, found the survey.

It’s “foolish” not to use an IGR, said Jim Ramey, Lu-Crest Pest Control. IGRs mimic the flea’s juvenile growth hormones and stop the development of flea eggs and larvae. Adult fleas will still emerge from pupae, however, hence the need for follow-up inspections.

In post-survey interviews, PMPs said they used liquid sprays that combine an insecticide and IGR to treat interior floors and outdoor hot spots. Combination aerosol products were used to target cracks and crevices of upholstered furniture where pets spend time and other hard-to-treat areas like underneath furniture.

Ramey uses an aerosol flushing agent when dealing with severe flea infestations. He will apply it to the mantle where the cat sits, for instance, killing some fleas on contact and making other fleas jump to the floor, which is treated.

In crawlspaces, which may harbor flea-ridden wildlife, Trey Howard of Bug Out Pest Solutions, applies insecticide-desiccant dust with a power duster.

“Using a power duster on the crawlspace helps us eliminate a lot of those hidey holes and nooks and crannies that the fleas are going to be hiding in,” said Howard. The process takes minutes, and the dust provides six to eight months of protection.

Outdoors, Howard applies a time-release granular material, which he said lasts longer than a liquid insecticide application.

An associate certified entomologist, Chad Highley, Environmental Pest Control, urged PMPs to rotate classes of chemicals used for quarterly pest control services as he has come across insecticide-resistant flea populations in his market.

“Pay attention to what works. If you’re certain that you did a solid service to begin with, start looking for other factors; start looking for why the service failed. Consider all possibilities. If you’ve ruled out everything and you’re still having a repeat issue, then you might try a different set of chemicals. You may have run across a resistant population, which we do from time to time,” he said.

According to the 2022 PCT State of the Pest Control Market survey, 53 percent of PMPs encouraged customers to vacuum as part of their flea service protocol. This included vacuuming carpet and hardwood floors before and after treatment.

“We have found the vacuum is one of the larger pieces of the puzzle to correcting the problem inside,” said Chad Highley, Environmental Pest Control.

Vibrations made by the vacuum agitate flea pupae, causing adult fleas to emerge from their cocoons. They think the vibrations are caused by a walking blood meal. “They jump out of their little cocoons and jump right into the vacuum,” said Highley. Emerging fleas that don’t get sucked up encounter the residual insecticide application.

To successfully control fleas, it is essential to break the flea life cycle. Vacuuming speeds this process up, which is important considering cat flea pupae can lie dormant for months.

In follow-up interviews, PMPs said they asked customers to vacuum after treatment three to seven days a week for one to four weeks. Trey Howard, Bug Out Pest Solutions, said he asks customers to vacuum more often than perhaps necessary because he knows they’ll do less. “No one ever follows the directions,” he said.

Jim Ramey of Lu-Crest Pest Control encourages clients to run oscillating fans on the floors of treated rooms to fool flea pupae into emerging. The “rustling” of the fans works just like the vibrations of the vacuum, he said.