Treating fleas in the home and ticks in the yard edge, with pet bedding, carpets and shaded lawn areas checked first.
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Flea and tick control treats where fleas develop and ticks wait for a host: pet bedding, carpets, the shaded lawn edge and wooded borders. Indoor flea work is usually tied to a pet, and outdoor tick work focuses on shade and leaf litter. Tinley Park Pest Control connects Cook County callers with a local technician.
Fleas are most often brought in by a pet and then develop in the home. An adult flea on a dog or cat lays eggs that fall into carpet, pet bedding, cracks in the floor and the seams of upholstered furniture, and the larvae hide there for weeks. The adults on the pet are only the visible part of the problem.
Ticks work differently. They wait on low vegetation, leaf litter and the edges of shaded or wooded ground for a host to pass, and they do not live in the house in the same way fleas do. A yard that borders a wooded area or a preserve edge has a different tick risk from a lot in the middle of a mowed subdivision.
A plan for both usually covers the pet, the home and the yard edge. The pet is treated with a product chosen with a veterinarian, the carpets and bedding are cleaned, and the shaded lawn border is checked and treated where the label allows. Call (855) 974-4733 to arrange a visit that covers the home and the yard together.
Do not use a dog or cat flea product made for another species, and do not apply a yard product near a pond, a vegetable bed or a pet's water. Keep children and pets off treated carpets and the lawn edge until the label allows. If a person or animal has a fever, rash or unusual symptoms after a tick bite, seek medical or veterinary advice, and then call (855) 974-4733.
The technician asks which animals are in the house and whether they are treated already, then checks the carpets, pet beds, the seams of the sofa and the cracks in the floor. The pets are the source of most flea problems, so their treatment is coordinated with the vet.
Carpets and pet bedding are vacuumed thoroughly, and the bag is sealed and removed. Bedding is washed on a hot setting where the fabric allows. The vacuuming is repeated because the eggs and larvae are not all removed on the first pass.
A product is applied to the carpet edges, the floor cracks and the lower parts of upholstered furniture as the label allows. Treatment is planned so that the pets and children can be kept away from the area until it has dried.
The lawn border, leaf litter, brush piles and shaded areas near the house are checked for tick activity. Where the yard meets a wooded edge, the technician notes the route an animal would take to reach the house.
Shaded areas and the wooded border are treated according to the label, and the homeowner is told when to keep pets off the area. A follow-up visit checks for new fleas in the home and for any change in tick activity on the lot.
The adult fleas on a pet are only part of the population. Eggs and larvae in carpets, bedding and furniture keep hatching for weeks, and new adults jump back onto the pet. Treating the home is what breaks that cycle.
A pet treated once can be reinfested from the home within days if the carpets and bedding are not cleaned. The homeowner is asked to vacuum and wash the bedding as part of the plan, since that removes the immature stages before they develop.
A veterinarian can advise on the right product for the pet and the timing of the treatment. The pest technician coordinates with that plan so that both the animal and the home are treated in the same period.
Flea dirt is the dark, pepper-like waste of adult fleas. Put a few specks on a damp white paper towel; if they turn reddish, they are digested blood and a sign of an active flea population.
Check the bedding, the seams of the pet's blanket and the area where the animal sleeps. Dark specks that do not turn red are simply dirt, so the test is worth repeating before concluding that fleas are present.
A technician checks the same places during the visit and can confirm the presence of fleas and their stages. The result guides how much cleaning and treatment the home needs.
Ticks wait on low vegetation, leaf litter and the edges of shaded or wooded ground, and they reach a host by brushing against it. Treating the shaded border and the leaf litter reduces the area where ticks wait, and clearing the brush reduces the shade they use.
A lawn that runs up to a wooded edge, a creek or a preserve boundary has more tick habitat than a mowed lawn in the middle of a subdivision. The border is the area to focus on, since ticks rarely cross open grass to reach a house.
The treatment is applied to the border and the shaded vegetation according to the label. A wide mowed strip between the lawn and the woods is an easy step that reduces the habitat close to the house.
Remove an attached tick with fine tweezers, grasping close to the skin and pulling straight out, then clean the area. Keep the tick in a sealed bag and tell a doctor or vet about the bite, since the safe removal and any follow-up depend on the situation.
Do not crush the tick, twist it or cover it with petroleum jelly or nail varnish, because those methods are not recommended. Wash your hands and the area afterwards, and note the date of the bite.
If a rash, fever or a feeling of being unwell follows a tick bite, see a doctor promptly and say where you were. A veterinarian can advise on any tick on a pet and on the product that prevents future bites.
Products are chosen for the setting and the animals present, and the label sets the rules for when children and pets can return to the area. Pet products should be chosen with a veterinarian, and the technician will explain which areas are treated.
A carpet treatment is usually allowed to dry before anyone walks on it, and the timing depends on the product. Keep infants and pets off the treated area until the technician says it is safe, and wash the hands after handling bedding or the treated area.
The yard treatment is applied to the border and the shade, away from play areas, vegetable beds and water features, and the label sets the re-entry time. The technician will say when the lawn can be used again.
The common job in a house with a dog or cat. The work concentrates on the pet's sleeping areas, the carpets and the furniture, and the treatment of the pet is coordinated with the veterinarian. Several visits are often needed as the eggs hatch.
Applied to the shaded lawn border, the leaf litter and the brush at the edge of the property. The goal is to reduce the area where ticks wait for a host, and the treatment is repeated on the schedule set by the label.
Used when a pet brings fleas indoors and the yard borders a wooded area. The plan covers the home and the lawn edge in the same season, so that the pet is not reinfested from the yard after the home has been treated.
Many Tinley Park homes sit on lots that border a wooded preserve edge, a creek or a line of trees, and that border is where ticks are most likely to wait. The survey covers the edge where the mowed lawn ends and the woods begin.
Pets in the south suburbs often walk the same routes through the neighbourhood and the preserve paths, and they bring fleas and ticks back to the house on the coat or the paws. A pet's regular walk is part of the picture when a flea or tick problem is traced.
The Tinley Creek Trail and other preserve trails near the south suburbs run through wooded and open ground, and a yard that backs onto a trail corridor has a different exposure from one in a closed subdivision. The plan takes that into account.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what flea and tick control should cost.
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Surveying turf, shaded beds, the foundation edge and the compost area for insects that damage lawns and draw pests toward the house.
Removing the standing water mosquitoes breed in and treating the shaded yard areas where adults rest in a Tinley Park yard.
One inspection and one written plan for the common pests that get into a Tinley Park house, garage and basement.
Finding how an animal got into an attic or wall, sealing the entry, and explaining where Illinois wildlife rules apply.
Fleas can come in on people, clothing or wildlife that passes through the yard, and they can survive in a home without a pet for a time. A technician can check the carpets and the entry points to find the source.
Most flea plans need more than one visit, because the eggs and pupae are not all reached by a single treatment. A follow-up visit checks for new fleas and confirms the result.
Outdoor products are not designed for indoor carpets and furniture, and their label may not allow indoor use. Ask the technician which product is suitable for the home and the pets.
Ticks are active through the warm season, so the timing of the yard work depends on the weather and the lot. The technician will suggest the schedule based on the border and the shade on the property.
Ticks mostly wait outdoors on vegetation and leaf litter, and they reach the house on a host. A tick that is found indoors is usually brought in on a pet or a person, and the pet and the entry point are checked.
Keep pets off treated areas until the product has dried or the label time has passed. The technician will say how long, and will mark the areas that are treated so the household knows where to keep the animals.