Fleas are tiny insects that make themselves at home on the skin of dogs and cats. But these critters can also lay their eggs in different parts of your home, including your kitchen.
Fleas can reproduce rapidly, no matter where they live. While they may hitchhike inside on your pets, they’re also known to bite humans and can spread dangerous diseases or infections through their bites.
Why do I have fleas in my kitchen?
Fleas don’t just infest dirty areas or dirty pets. Because they’re attracted to light, warmth, and the carbon dioxide humans exhale, it’s common to find fleas in even the cleanest homes.
The most common way fleas get inside your home is by hitching a ride on your cat or dog. Once these insects have latched onto and infected your pet, it’s easy for them to lay many eggs and find spots in your home to hide, waiting for other opportunities to feed.
Even if you don’t have any pets, your home can still have a flea infestation. Fleas are small and can easily get into your home through tiny cracks in the wall, floor, or window screens.
Other ways fleas can get into your kitchen include:
- Hiding in used furniture
- Riding in on a person’s clothing or skin
- Infecting mice or other wildlife entering or living close to a home
Can fleas live in a kitchen?
While fleas prefer the warm, furry bodies of cats and dogs, they can thrive in other places when they’re not feeding—including your kitchen. Fleas lay their eggs in small crevices, which include gaps between appliances or inside cupboards.
Where do fleas hide in a kitchen?
Fleas prefer areas that provide close access to food—and their food is, unfortunately, blood. Fleas may be found in the kitchen because they can hop on dogs or cats while they’re eating.
Here are a few common spots in and near your kitchen where fleas might be hiding:
- Curtains, towels, and rugs
- Pet beds
- Wet hiding spots like sink drains
- Kitchen cabinets
- Cracks in hardwood floors
- Under appliances
Flea life cycle
The life cycle of a flea consists of four stages:
- Egg
- Larva
- Pupa
- Adult
It takes anywhere from two weeks to eight months for a flea to complete this cycle. If a flea regularly feeds, it can lay up to 20 eggs a day, depositing them in the skin or fur of pets or wildlife. If your cat has fleas and comes home with eggs on its body, the eggs can easily fall off and land wherever your pet walks, sleeps, or rests.
Flea eggs hatch within two weeks, and their larvae develop into pupa over several weeks. Adult fleas take in more blood than they need when biting their hosts. The blood they can’t digest gets excreted as small black pellets, which existing larvae feed on.
The best conditions for completing a flea’s life cycle are warm (70-85°F) and humid (70%) environments. A cozy kitchen is an ideal spot for fleas to live and reproduce if a warm-blooded host is within range, although some of these adult insects can live without feeding for months.
Do fleas carry diseases?
Fleas bites often leave behind itchy red bumps on the skin. In some cases, these bites can become more serious and require medical attention, as some types of fleas can pass on dangerous diseases to humans.
For instance, cat fleas are capable of passing along typhus to people. An infected cat with Ctenocephalides felis fleas can transmit cat scratch fever to humans if the animal scratches the person’s skin.
How do I get rid of fleas in my kitchen?
Once fleas have infested your kitchen, getting rid of them is difficult and time-consuming. The best course of action is to keep an infestation from occurring in the first place. Keep your pet on flea-preventive medications prescribed by a veterinarian to help keep them protected from fleas in the first place.
If you find fleas on your pet, use a flea comb or pet-safe flea shampoo, or consult your vet for recommendations. If you find fleas indoors, thoroughly vacuum any surfaces your pet may have spent time on, then discard the canister bag outdoors.
If a large infestation of fleas exists in your kitchen, it’s best to contact a pest control specialist to keep your family and pets safe.
Pest control services
Address your flea infestation with the help of the experienced professionals at Hawx Pest Control. Our indoor and outdoor flea service plans include a seven-day follow-up service to ensure your issue is addressed, and our professionals use state-of-the-art techniques to inspect for flea activity after the initial visit. We only use high-quality, long-lasting products and tools to deliver results you can count on. Contact us today for your free estimate.
