Flea & Tick Identification & Prevention

What are fleas and ticks?

Fleas are tiny, blood-feeding insects that are often mistaken for specks of dirt. In Texas, two flea species can find their way onto our properties — the cat flea and the dog flea. The cat flea is the most widespread and likely culprit of an infestation. The two fleas are quite similar, and you can only tell them apart under the microscope. Despite their descriptive names, both cat and dog fleas feed on similar hosts, including cats, dogs, rodents, and other warm-blooded wild animals. Fleas will bite us and feed on our blood, but we are not their preferred hosts.

The tick is another blood-feeding pest that lives in our area; however, it is not an insect but rather a type of arachnid. Three of the most common ticks in Austin and our surrounding areas are the American dog tick, lone star tick, and black-legged tick. Like fleas, they also feed on warm-blooded animals like our pets, rodents, and wild animals. Ticks are also capable of attaching themselves to people and feeding on our blood.

Are fleas and ticks dangerous?

Both fleas and ticks are considered dangerous because of their ability to spread pathogens and parasites through their feeding process. In the U.S., the spread of diseases by ticks is more of a concern than by fleas. Yet, limiting contact with either species is important to the health and safety of you and your family.

Black-legged ticks are responsible for the spread of Lyme disease. Other diseases spread by various ticks species include:

• Babesiosis 
• Anaplasmosis 
• Ehrlichiosis 
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF)

Fleas spread parasitic tapeworms to people and animals and can spread diseases like plague and flea-borne typhus.

Fleas also pose another problem; many people and animals are allergic to their saliva and develop flea bite dermatitis, resulting in a red itchy rash. Scratching at the bites can lead to a secondary infection.

Why do I have a flea and tick problem?

Neither fleas nor ticks can fly; therefore, the easiest way for them to move from place to place is on the back of an animal host. Fleas and ticks are in our yards because our pets, rodents, or other animals have introduced them.

Fleas reproduce on the backs of their animal hosts; their eggs will fall to the ground to develop into new biting adults. Ticks feed for days, and after they have had their fill, they will drop to the ground until they are ready to find a new host.

When fleas or ticks are in your backyard or outdoor space that you regularly frequent, like a walking trail, it is easy to accidentally come into contact with these pests and bring them into your home. Another common way these pests find their way into our homes is on the backs of their animal hosts; when rodents move indoors to nest, they bring fleas and ticks with them.