Can you have fleas without pets (animals)?

Question: What can we do about fleas? We sprayed with flea spray, but there are no animals in the home.

Answer: In short, yes, it is possible to have fleas even though you do not have a pet. There are a few possibilities for this:

One possibility is that the previous owner or tenant had animals, and those animals had fleas. When they vacated they left the fleas behind in the carpeting. In a situation like this, the fleas stay in their cocoon until they feel vibration. They can wait for months! Now those adult fleas are looking for a meal. Without a dog or cat available, people become the best choice.

Another possibility is stray animals like dogs and cats bringing flea problems to porches, decks, and around doors to houses. Wildlife like skunks, squirrels, raccoons or opossums, can leave behind adult fleas or flea eggs when they spend time around the house, in the attic or your crawl space. Mice and rats can transport fleas into your home.

Call us and set up an inspection with a highly trained Orkin Pest Specialist who will assess the situation and recommend a customized, scientifically proven treatment plan that best fits your needs.

More information on eliminating fleas in home.

Related Questions

Orkin used the information above to also answer the following questions submitted by Orkin.com users:

Question: I have recently developed a flea problem in my home. I do not have pets but we did recently bring in a piece of furniture that was given to us and, at the same time I noticed a few cats hanging around, so I am unsure where they came from. But what I want to know is what do you recommend from the store for me to use, and also how much does Orkin charge to spray for fleas?

I went and bought Bengal full season plus flea spray, but haven’t used it yet because I am scared I will hurt my 15 month old child. But I must do something because my son is being bitten badly. You would think he had chicken pox or measles the way these fleas are biting him. I have seen the fleas on me but don’t have marks.