Fleas and Flea Management - Urban Insect Pests: Sustainable Management Strategies - page 92

Monitoring adult fl eas on the host

a situation, there is no single approach that
will be successful. Single or occasional
attempts to eliminate fl eas on the pets alone
usually result in temporary benefi t because
the risk of re-infestation from the environ-
ment persists. Successful fl ea control will
involve a variety of separate approaches,
coordinated for maximum effect. It is import-
ant that the pet owner understands the
importance of dealing with the animals and
the environment together, and also the need
for both veterinarians and professional pest
controllers to be involved. A typical fl ea
control programme has the following
separate objectives described below.

Combing animals for 5 min provides an
accurate and precise estimate of fl ea
populations. The head and neck regions of
domestic pets have the greatest numbers of
fl eas (Hsu et al. , 2002). In plague-affected
areas, removing, identifying and counting
fl eas from trapped rodents is a standard part
of routine surveillance work (Table 6.2)
(Gage , 1999).

Detecting and monitoring larval fl eas

There are no standard techniques available
for monitoring larval fl eas. When required,
this involves ad hoc examination of the
host's bedding or nest material. In domestic
premises, gently shaking the pet's bedding
over a white sheet and examining the
collected debris may reveal the presence of
fl ea eggs, larvae and adult fl ea faeces.

Elimination of the fl ea infestation on the
animal

Where the re-infestation risk is high, there
is a need to protect the animal against
further re-infestation by controlling the fl ea
population in both the indoor and outdoor
environments.
In addition, the pet (and perhaps the
owner) may also need treatment for any
allergic reactions to the fl ea bites, which
should be provided by a trained veterinarian
or family doctor, respectively.

Flea Control

In developed countries, the majority of fl ea
control work involves infestations associ-
ated with domestic pets, primarily cats and
dogs. In such situations there are likely to
be adult fl eas on the animal itself, adult and
immature stages within the home and yard,
and reservoirs of fl eas associated with other
animals in the area, such as the neighbours'
pets, or wild animals such as foxes. In such

Treatment of infested animals

Reduction of fl ea infestation on the pet can
be achieved and maintained either by a

Table 6.2. Prevalence of fl eas obtained from cats or dogs.

Ko ˇišová and
Weissová, 2012

Akucewich et al .,
2002

Canto et al .,
2013 Author: Wall et al .,1997

Country: Slovak Republic Ireland Florida, USA Mexico

Host: Cats Dogs Cats Dogs Cats Cats

Ctenocephalides felis 25.6 2.6 90 17.5 92.5 53

C. canis 71.8 92 1 75.7 0 18

Pulex irritans 0 0 0 0 0 1

P. simulans 0 0 0 0 4.5 0

Archeopsylla erinacei 0 0.2 0 3.9 0 0

Ceratophyllus gallinae 0.8 0 0 2.8 0 0

Spilopsillus cuniculi 0 2.1 9 0 0 0

Echidnophaga
gallinacea

0 0 0 0 5.5 7

Other 1.7 0.3 0 0 0 0