Fleas and ticks may not appear to be a huge problem at first, so people often try to deal with them on their own. In a majority of cases, however, homeowners discover that they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.
Why are these tiny creatures so difficult to manage?
When you have an infestation, fleas can be everywhere. Inside. Outside. In the yard. On your pets. On your rugs and carpets. In pet blankets. Birds, opossums, raccoons and other types of rodents can even carry fleas and ticks into attics, crawl spaces and more.
In other words, when people try to deal with fleas and ticks on their own, they tend to miss part of the infestation. If you miss just one area with eggs, soon you’ll be dealing with an entirely new infestation as the cycle starts anew.
You need professional help if you want to guarantee that an infestation is really and truly gone. If you’re looking for a tick and flea exterminator in Houston who won’t douse your home with dangerous chemicals, Chem-free is the answer.
Our approach involves a series of low-impact measures including cultural controls, pre-treatment techniques, applying treatment solutions only in localized areas and ongoing monitoring.
What exactly does that mean? Here's what our customers can expect:
Step 1: Pre-Treating the Area
The Chem-free philosophy is based on integrated pest management (IPM) principles. This means starting by implementing measures to make indoor and outdoor areas less friendly to fleas and ticks. Our pre-treatment checklist includes:
Mowing
Fleas and ticks thrive in longer grass. Vegetation provides a safe refuge until they can find a host to latch onto.
Clearing floors and yards
Don’t just stop with mowing your lawn if you want to stop fleas and ticks from making your backyard their home. Rake up any leaf and grass clippings to ensure there’s nothing for these pests to hide under. Following that logic, it’s also a good idea to remove any other unnecessary items sitting on your lawn or inside on your floors. Clutter equals hiding places where fleas and ticks can breed and nest.
Mopping, sweeping, and vacuuming
Fleas, ticks, and their eggs are so small that they’re not easy for people to spot–even when they’re right out in the open. You don’t need to see these signs to get rid of them. Regularly mopping, sweeping and vacuuming floors, furniture and corners can help you remove both eggs and adult bugs.
By following these and additional pre-treatment steps, you will reduce the flea and tick population and make your infestation easier to manage. In addition, our technicians can have a clearer picture of which areas are truly infested. With this knowledge, we can further limit the areas where any chemical treatments might be used while also improving the effectiveness of those treatments.
Step 2: Using Low-Toxicity Treatments
After the Chem-free technician determines which areas would benefit, he or she will apply a targeted chemical treatment in those locations.
The products we use have been designed to not only eliminate flea and tick pests, but also build a barrier that protects the surrounding environment. In other words, they have been formulated to prevent absorption into any type of organic material (including soil), limiting the exposure of people, pets and even plants.
Step 3: Ongoing Monitoring
Many people report seeing more fleas and ticks after our initial treatments. This is exactly what should happen. In fact, it’s a sign that the treatments are working, because solutions are driving the bugs out of their typical nesting areas. About three weeks after the last treatment, you should expect to see significantly fewer pests as the fleas and ticks die off.
If you continue to notice problems after this, Chem-free offers a warranty on our services. Those who opt for the warranty may contact us to set up additional treatments on an as-needed basis.
Step 4: Utilizing Cultural Controls
Unfortunately, getting rid of a flea or tick infestation does not mean that you are done with the critters for good – especially in a place like Houston where they are so prevalent.
That’s why we always educate our clients on environmental controls they can implement on their own to stop ticks and fleas from coming back.
These recommendations consist of measures like vacuuming weekly for the month following our final treatment and tossing out vacuum bags after cleaning to make sure that no lingering ticks, fleas or eggs hang around to restart the cycle.
Chem-free proudly serves Houston, as well as Cypress, Katy, Sugarland, Spring, Tomball, The Woodlands and Kingwood.
