If you’ve ever battled a flea infestation, you know the fight can seem never-ending. During peak flea season, the heat and humidity conditions are optimal for fleas, leaving unprotected dogs and cats miserably itchy. By planning ahead, you can stop fleas before they take over your home. Learn when peak flea season is likely to hit your region and what you can do to keep fleas off your pet this season and year-round.
 

When Do Fleas Flourish?

Fleas thrive when it’s about 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity of 70%.

When the temperature rises above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, fleas begin to dry out and die down. However, it can take up to 48 hours of high heat exposure to kill a flea. Dry, hot conditions are even less favorable for fleas. Relative humidity under 50% dries out adult fleas and dramatically lowers egg and larvae survival rates.

Fleas can survive temperatures as cool as 45 degrees Fahrenheit. However, it can take up to a week of consistent, below-freezing temperatures for fleas to finally die off in the winter.

Adult fleas do not hibernate and ultimately will not survive below-freezing temperatures. However, they only make up about 5% of the total flea population. Flea eggs, larvae, and pupae are much more resilient, emerging as soon as conditions become liveable again. Pupae can lie dormant for months, hiding out in carpets, curtains, and other soft surfaces in your home.

So while warm, humid weather is optimal for fleas, they can survive in a wide range of conditions. Once they hitch a ride indoors, they quickly become an all-weather pest.
 

When Is Peak Flea Season for Pets?

Peak flea season in your region depends on your climate. For those living in tropical climates, flea season may be anywhere from nine months long to year-round.

For temperate climates, fleas start to come out in the rainy spring season and continue to attack pets through autumn.

Peak flea season is late summer to early fall, when the weather is warm and humid. By late summer, eggs laid earlier in the season have had weeks to mature and become active.

What’s more, flea eggs, larvae, and pupae can live indoors and may lie dormant for months between meals. Just a few days of unseasonably warm weather in the winter can create perfect conditions for fleas to emerge and attack pets.
 

Prepare Your Pets for Peak Flea Season

When warm, humid weather is in the forecast, you can expect fleas to target your pets. Dogs can pick up fleas in areas frequented by stray cats, foxes, raccoons, and other wildlife, as well as from other dogs in vet’s offices, grooming salons, and boarding facilities. Even indoor cats can get fleas, as they may be brought in by other pets or make their way inside through cracks and crevices.

There’s no need to wait for peak flea season to protect your pets. By using a flea and tick preventative year-round, you can stop fleas before an infestation can start. Prevention is far easier and more cost-effective than dealing with a full-blown infestation. Remember that just one flea, given the right conditions, can lay up to 50 eggs a day.

Whether you’ve caught a flea or two on your pet - a sign of thousands more nearby - or you want to get ahead of peak flea and tick season, you’ll win the fight against fleas with multiple layers of protection. Treat outdoor areas with a premise flea and tick spray, treat carpets and bedding inside your home, and use a flea and tick preventative year round to keep your pet protected.