Did you know that fleas have life stages just like a butterfly: egg, larva, pupa, and adult?  Adult fleas make up only about 5% of the population at any given time, but they are the most visible and will be the only ones you'll find on your pets.  The other 95% of the population exist as eggs, larvae and pupae.  These flea stages can be hidden in the cracks and crevices of your floor, carpet, or outside in the soil.

If you have an infestation, you can sometimes find the white, worm-like larvae in floor cracks.  These nasty little worms feed on the fecal matter of the adults.  Think of the pupae as hibernating jack-in-the-boxes in your carpet.  They remain as pupae, in suspended animation, until they sense carbon dioxide or vibration from a possible host when they pop out as hungry adults.  Even worse, flea pupae are immune to insecticides.  For a couple weeks after a flea treatment, you can still find new fleas hopping out of their pupal cases.

Use these tips below to help keep your house and pet flea free this year. 

1. Talk to your vet.  To begin with, consult your veterinarian to find an on-pet treatment that best suits your needs.  Don't just purchase a medication through the internet or over-the-counter.  You may risk ending up with mislabeled packaging and non-regulated ingredients.


2. Talk to your pest control company.  Since most of the fleas are not even on the pet, you have to remember to treat the pet's environment.  Most pest control companies don't think to treat the pet's environment until their clients call with a flea problem.  Several years ago, we introduced a flea pre-treatment program that involves an outside only treatment using an insect growth regulator.  We have had such good luck with this strategy that it comes with a 1-year re-treatment warranty.  This type of treatment really compliments your veterinarian's on-pet treatment.  In fact, your veterinarian may be a good place to get a recommendation for a pest control company.


3. Keep it clean.  Frequently washing your pet's bedding and vacuuming carpets and furniture can really help keep fleas from getting started.  If a pest control company is coming to treat, you should also clear and clean all your floors, remove clutter, toys, pet food and water dishes from areas to be treated.  After treatment, continue to vacuum frequently to get those last few hatching pupae.  Remember to empty the canister or throw the bag away in an outdoor receptacle so there's no chance of them getting back into the house.

Treating your pet is just the beginning of an effective flea prevention program.  It's also important to keep your home and yard flea free for the health and comfort of your furry friends and family.

Dr. Scott Lingren, BCE

We are extremely proud to announce that we recently received a notice that we are now classified as "Favorite Place on Google."  This classification was only given to 100,000 businesses across the U.S. and represents less than 1% of businesses listed on Google.  It's a big deal for us to receive this classification coming from a small market like Bryan / College Station to still be able to achieve the level of traffic to our website to be noticed and rewarded. 

Along with this designation, they sent this pretty slick window decal that has a bar code in the bottom corner.  Customers are supposed to be able to scan that bar code with the cameras in their phones which will give them access to our business listing on Google.  There they can read and write reviews, or add Venus Pest Company as one of their own favorites! 

Oh how far we've come in such a short time!  In 2009 we put a ton of effort into enhancing our web presence to put us at the cutting edge of technology.  With tremendous help and effort from the crew at Agnitek, we completely redesigned venuspest.com.  The result was a much more user friendly website with substantially more, even better formatted content than we ever dreamed of having before, which is one of the main reasons we are now receiving this designation as a "Favorite Place on Google." 

Embracing the social media phenomenon has been challenging but rewarding undertaking for us this year as well.  We believe that being more closely connected to more of our customers better enables us to respond to their needs, and do so in a more timely fashion.  Sharing important pest related news, critical updates from Dr. Scott, special discounts, and other time sensitive information through social media outlets has also added tremendous value to our company and the services we are able to provide our clients..

Please join us on Facebook or Twitter by using one of the links below where you can have a chance at 50% off your next pest control service.  Each month we will announce one winner from our Facebook and/or Twitter followers that will receive 50% off their next service.  You have to be set up to receive messages from us or you might miss the announcement if you are selected the winner.

Thanks again to Agnitek, our hard-working employees here at Venus Pest, and all of our friends out there who have helped us achieve so much this past year.  We look forward to our continued relationship with you and for a prosperous 2010 for everyone!

Partnering with a professional pest control company is a critical decision business owners and managers all face.  For any business that regular interacts with customers inside a physical establishment, it is extremely important to present and maintain a clean environment, especially in regards to unwanted pests. Making mistakes in commercial pest control can result huge amounts of lost business.  For example, local media outlets love to report on findings of rodents or insects in restaurants. Commercial pest control services make up about 25% of an average pest control company's business.  Although Texas does not require a separate certification, performing commercial pest control presents many different challenges than residential pest control.  Responsible business owners and managers must ensure they are partnering with the right professional.  Below is a checklist of important qualities to consider when selecting a pest control service for your business.  This list is compl ...

Remember, for the same reasons you want to be indoors during Winter, invasive pests do too! It is important to perform a comprehensive winter pest control treatment to ensure your home is protected year-round.