The Customer's Role In Flea Control

Flea control offers PCOs the opportunity to enlist extensive aid from homeowners in order to achieve better control and to minimize risks. Such customer cooperation is important because of the nature of flea control procedures.

Flea control differs from most pest control operations in homes in that typically quite large volumes of insecticide are applied to exposed surfaces in order to eliminate an established flea infestation. For pests such as cockroaches, which mostly occupy small, hidden harborages, pesticide treatments can usually be targeted much more narrowly and the focus is usually on localized treatment of non-exposed sites, often by crack and crevice or void injection.

Dealing with German cockroaches in a home with a floor area of 1,000 square feet might involve application of less than 1 pint of spray. However, for flea control the same home might require the application of 1 gallon of spray throughout much of the building.

The use of relatively large quantities of insecticide over large areas in a home for flea control inevitably means that PCOs will encounter more situations requiring care than when treatments are more localized. In a fully carpeted home, where pet dogs or cats have the run of the whole building, it will usually be necessary to make pesticide applications in every living area, and often in other areas too, such as basements, garages and outdoor areas. Also, the fact that most homes with flea problems have pets means that special attention must be paid to these animals, both from the viewpoint of their safety and from the viewpoint of them being sources or hosts of fleas.

It is generally recognized among PCOs that it is not possible to provide a quality flea control service without proper customer cooperation. Pesticide manufacturers have also recognized the importance of the customer’s role in successful flea control It is noteworthy that the three manufacturers which dominate the supply of PCO products for flea control (DowElanco, Nor-Am Chemical Co. and Zoecon) have all published information on this topic. The information from these manufacturers and other sources suggests that customer responsibilities regarding flea control fall into the following four categories:

• Providing information to PCOs
• Cleaning and clearing the premises.
• Arranging pet treatments.
• Evacuating or safeguarding people and pets during and after treatment as necessary.

The customer cooperation that might be solicited is itemized below for each of these categories. Note that the customer’s responsibilities will vary with the type of treatments conducted by the PCO. For instance, some pesticide labels specify that the premises be ventilated after treatment, but many require no ventilation.

Providing information to PCOs. Customers may need to answer the following questions:

• Have you seen or been bitten by any fleas?
• Where have you seen or been bitten by fleas?
• How long have you had a flea problem?
• What treatments of the premises, if any, have already been conducted?
• What pests do you have?
• Do the pest have fleas?
• What treatments of pets, if any, have been conducted?
• Do any pets go outdoors?
• Where do pets roam indoors?
• Where do pets enter and leave the building?
• Where do pests rest, sleep and eat?
• Where are the pets’ "bathroom" areas?
• Have any pets had any adverse reaction to pesticides?
• Have any occupants had any adverse reaction to pesticides?
• Do any children visit or occupy the premises?
• Do you know of any fabrics or other materials in the premises which can be adversely affected by pesticides?
• Have you had any past problems with carpet staining?
• Do any of your carpets carry warnings about pesticide effects?
• Do any of your tables, chairs, etc. have steel "studs" on the underside of the legs?

Cleaning and clearing the premises. It may be necessary, or at least desirable, for the customer to conduct the following cleaning and clearing measures prior to pesticide applications by the PCO:

• Remove toys and other objects from exposed floor areas.
• Remove objects from the floor under furniture and from the floor inside closets.
• Vacuum all floors, including under furniture and at floor/wall junctions, especially where pets rest or sleep.
• Vacuum drapes and upholstered furniture, especially under cushions.
• Remove vacuum cleaner bag after vacuuming and dispose of it outdoors in a plastic trash bag.
• Thoroughly clean wood or tile floors.
• Sweep steps, porches and decks.
• Wash or destroy all pet bedding.
• Remove wash from clothes line prior to any yard spraying.
• Mow lawn prior to any yard spraying.

Following applications of residual insecticides indoors, the customer should be instructed to put off cleaning carpets, floors and treated furniture with detergents or other cleaners which may deactivate the pesticide.

Pet treatments. The customer should be advised to have any infested pets treated by a qualified and experience professional on the day the premises are treated by the PCO. If the customer uses his own vehicle for transporting the pet, arrangements should be made for this vehicle to be treated by the pest control operator at the appropriate time.

Safety first. The precautions that need to be taken during and after applications of pesticides for flea control vary tremendously. Some products require people and pets to vacate treated areas during application and not to return until the spray has dried. Other products are less restrictive. However, all products used by PCOs to treat the premises are not allowed to be used to treat pets or their bedding. Depending on the product(s) chosen by the PCO, the customer may be asked to cooperate in one or more of the following or similar ways:

• Keep all people and pets out of the premises until the spray has dried completely.
• Don’t allow any humans or pets to contact treated areas until the spray has thoroughly dried.
• Do not permit children or pets to contact treated surfaces until the spray has dried completely.
• Ventilate the premises for X hours after the treatment and before re-entering (if specified by pesticide labeling.)
• Remove pet food, water and bedding during pesticide application.
• Remove or cover fish tanks to avoid pesticide exposure.
• Where fish tanks remain, keep air pumps turned off and tanks covered until after the spray has dried (and/or until after the premises are ventilated.) Don’t turn off heaters for tropical fish tanks.
• Call the PCO immediately if there are any questions about the possible adverse effects of pesticides on pets following treatment.

PCOs should carefully read the precautionary statements on pesticide labels before instructing customers on these safety matters. It is essential not to give any verbal or written instructions to customers which conflict with pesticide labeling. This reminder may seem unnecessary, but the author has encountered many PCOs who tell their customers not to re-enter treated premises for a specific number of hours. Such PCO instructions are in direct conflict with the labels of most residual flea control products which require people and pets not to contact treated surfaces until the spray has dried completely or thoroughly. The words "completely" or "thoroughly" imply no specific time limit. In some cases the treated surfaces may be completely dry in two hours, but in cases of thoroughly treated shag rugs in a cool, humid environment it may take 10 hours or more. In the latter cases, if a PCO has told a customer he can reoccupy after two hours, the PCO has violated federal and state law.