Flea and Tick Control

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You won't want to allow a flea-infested Fluffy or Fido into your freshly cleaned home, so treat them to an occasional shampoo. No need to lather them up with a pesticideinfused potion: Plain soap and water usually will drown the fleas. just work up a good suds and allow it to stand for a few minutes before thoroughly rinsing your pet.

Flea combs are another good method for controlling mild infestations of adult fleas. These combs have tightly spaced teeth that comb out fleas and their manure (which serves as food for the larvae), but still allow hair to pass through. Dip the comb into soapy water to dislodge and drown the fleas.

Pets usually enjoy the extra attention, and by combing regularly, you'll be able to monitor the flea population and spring into action if numbers begin to swell. Outdoors, fleas are highly susceptible to fluctuations in temperature and moisture. They like damp environments, but they're also vulnerable to drowning. Mow infested lawn areas short, and allow them to dry out during the heat of summer if possible. Dryden says fleas are found most often in moist, shaded areas such as under porches and around dog pens. He says to use your garden hose to give the shady areas a good flooding. "Run the hose until you have mud puddles and you'll drown the fleas."

TACKLING TICKS

Ticks rank right up there with bats, snakes and spiders as creatures that elicitfear and disgust at the mete mention of their name. While most of these creepy crawlers have beneficial characteristics, ticks truly deserve to be given a wide berth. These blood-sucking parasites are carriers of several diseases, most notably Lyme disease. First appearing in the Northeast in the late 1970s, it is slowly making its way along riverbanks in MidAtlantic states toward the Midwest.

Frequent vacuuming controls fleas effectively. Toss out the cleaner bag once a week so it doesn't become a fleabag hotel. Ticks belong to the class Arachnida, which counts mites, spiders and scorpions among its members. There are more than 850 species of tick. Their ravenous appetite for blood enables them to transmit diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever; ehrlichiosis, a sometimes-deadly disease with flulike symptoms; tularemia, which causes skin sores; and babesiosis, a disease similar to malaria. Just last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that a new tick-borne disease, Powassan encephalitis, had appeared in New England. Some scientists say there may be other tick borne illnesses that haven't been identified.

Infinitely patient creatures, ticks make their way onto the edges of leaves and branches, then stretch out their legs and hitch a ride on a passing host. Deer and mice are among their favorite means of transportation. After they've found their meal ticket, ticks wander on their hosts' bodies until they can find a suitable place to dig in and feed. A female tick will feed for three days to a week and increase as much as 200 times in weight before she's had her fill. Once satiated, she falls to the ground where she lays 1,500 to 2,000 eggs. Her progeny emerge and begin the cycle all over again. Many ticks, particularly those that infest dogs, are known as threehost ticks. with each stage of life larva, nymph and adult?the tick feeds, drops off and transforms, then moves on to another host.

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