If you keep a pet at home, you may be concerned about how to identify fleas and ticks. These insects can bother both humans and animals, making it essential that you prevent fleas and ticks from living and breeding in your home. Remember, a veterinarian is your best resource for treating pets bothered by fleas and ticks, but HomeTeam Pest Defense’s pest management services are useful for treating your home so you and your pet can remain free from fleas and ticks.
Here’s a look at how to identify fleas and ticks that have welcomed themselves into your home.
Identifying Fleas
Fleas are small, wingless bloodsuckers that are very difficult to see with the naked eye. Looking at them straight on, they appear very skinny. Even from the side, fleas are no more than 1/16 of an inch long. To get around, fleas jump. Adults feed only on warm-blooded hosts. They deliver bites that can cause itchy irritation and play host to transport tapeworm. Fleas go through a metamorphosis from egg to larvae to pupae to adults. It’s important to understand the different stages of their lifecycle in order to treat a home effectively.
Identifying Ticks
When you understand how to identify fleas and ticks, you quickly learn that ticks are quite different from fleas, though they are just as unpleasant to have in your home. Adult ticks have eight legs and look almost like spiders when they aren’t engorged with blood. Once they latch onto a person or animal and begin to draw blood, they can grow to between ¼ and ½ inch long, making ticks very noticeable when they are fully engorged. Ticks are most often seen when they are feeding on their host, unlike their flea counterparts that like to actively jump around. When moving, ticks crawl.
How to Identify Fleas and Ticks From Each Other
Now that we’ve explored the basic characteristics of ticks and fleas, let’s delve deeper into the key identifiers that can help you distinguish between these pests:
1. Size and appearance
- Ticks are generally larger and have a flatter, oval-shaped body. They can range in size from a pinhead to about the size of a small grape when fully engorged.
- Fleas are smaller, measuring about one to three millimeters in length. They have slender, elongated bodies with a reddish-brown to black color.
2. Color
- Ticks are usually reddish-brown or dark brown, but their color may change as they feed and become engorged.
- Fleas are typically reddish-brown to black, depending on their species.
3. Legs
- Ticks have four pairs of legs, for a total of eight legs, which are often visible when they are crawling.
- Fleas have six legs and possess powerful hind legs built for jumping.
4. Feeding habits
- Ticks feed slowly and attach firmly to their host. You may not notice them until they become engorged.
- Fleas feed quickly and repeatedly, often causing immediate itching and discomfort.
5. Jumping behavior
- Ticks cannot jump or hop. They rely on questing, where they wait for a host to pass by and then attach themselves.
- Fleas are exceptional jumpers, leaping onto hosts from various distances away.
6. Preferred hosts
- Ticks infest a wide range of hosts, including mammals, birds, and even humans.
- Fleas typically infest mammals, with cats and dogs being the most common hosts.
7. Habitat
- Ticks are commonly found in grassy, wooded areas where they can quest for hosts. They may also enter homes on pets.
- Fleas often inhabit areas where their hosts rest or sleep, such as pet bedding, carpets, and upholstery. They can quickly infest homes when introduced by pets.
8. Disease transmission
- Ticks are known vectors for diseases such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis.
- Fleas can transmit diseases like murine typhus and bubonic plague.
9. Movement
- Ticks are relatively slow-moving and tend to crawl on their hosts.
- Fleas are agile and tend to hop and move quickly on their hosts and in their environment.
10. Detection
- Ticks are easier to spot when they are attached and feeding on a host, particularly when they become engorged.
- Fleas may be detected by their bites and the presence of tiny, dark-colored, and pepper-like specks (flea dirt) on pet bedding or in carpet fibers.
The Bottom Line
While ticks and fleas share some similarities as blood-feeding parasites, they possess distinct characteristics and behaviors that make them unique pests. Recognizing these differences is crucial for effective pest identification and control.
If you suspect a tick or flea infestation in your home or on your pets, consult with a pest control professional like HomeTeam Pest Defense immediately to ensure the proper identification and treatment of these pests. Doing so will help you safeguard your family and pets from potential harm.
How to get rid of Ticks and Fleas
Now that you understand how to identify fleas and ticks, it’s time to get rid of them. You can try different do-it-yourself products or you can call a pest exterminator to inspect and treat your home and your yard. Different methods of pest control for the home are required to get rid of either ticks or fleas.
Sometimes it seems that flea treatments fail when, in fact, it may take three to five weeks for the treatment to be effective because of the different life stages of the flea. At HomeTeam Pest Defense, we know just what is needed to restore your home to a tick- and flea-free zone.
To learn more about how to identify fleas and ticks, please contact HomeTeam Pest Defense by calling 855-855-4873, or visit our website for additional information about our pest management services. We also invite you to join us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn for additional tips regarding pest control for the home.