When is peak flea season?

When are fleas most active?

June - September

Fleas thrive in warm and humid environments, and their activity levels vary based on geographic location and climate. Generally, fleas are most active during the warmer months of the year, commonly from spring through to early autumn. 

During this peak flea season, adult fleas are more prevalent and reproduce rapidly. Female fleas lay eggs on your pets and they fall off their coat as they wander round your house. The eggs can find their way into every nook and crannie; favouring warm dark places like your carpets, curtains, floorboards, bedding and sofas. These eggs lie dormant in those spots waiting to hatch.

It's also important to remember that fleas can be active indoors and outdoors, so keeping a close eye on your pets and their environment during the peak season is crucial. Even if your pets spend most of their time indoors, they can still bring in fleas from their occasional outdoor adventures… and so can you via shoes, clothes and any other accessories!

When do fleas come out?

Daytime (all about the warmth!)

Fleas are most active during the day, particularly when the temperatures are warm. However, fleas have developed some savvy survival strategies that allow them to endure colder temperatures.

Fleas are ectoparasites, which means they live on the outside of your pooches and feline friends. They are unfortunately well practised at finding pets and feeding on their blood. They are also highly opportunistic and rely on vibrations, heat, and carbon dioxide emitted by your pets to locate them. When an unsuspecting pet approaches, the fleas will leap onto them. Once on the pet, they start to feed, mate, and lay eggs. This whole process can happen quite rapidly, contributing to the quick growth of an infestation during the peak flea season.

Do fleas like heat?

Yes, yes and yes!

Yes, fleas thrive in warm and humid conditions. Heat and humidity play an important role in their development and survival. High temperatures speed up the life cycle of fleas, meaning they can complete their metamorphosis from egg to adult much faster in warm weather. This can be as little as 14 days during summertime!

During the peak flea season, when temperatures rise, fleas become more active and reproduce more rapidly. Just 24 hours after getting jiggy with a mate, lady fleas start laying eggs all over the place! But they’re more likely to lay eggs in warmer environments, leading to an increased number of offspring. In the summer months, a single female flea can lay 40-50 eggs a day.

It's crucial to keep your pet's environment as cool and dry as possible during the peak flea season. Using air conditioning, fans, and dehumidifiers can help control the indoor environment and make it less favourable for fleas. 

However, winter is no time to forget about fleas! Thanks to central heating, fleas can survive and breed in winter too. This is why it’s super important to keep up to date with a regular routine of flea treatment all year round. A regular, monthly treatment of Itch Flea Treatment for dogs or Itch Flea Treatment for cats, delivered for free on subscription, means you’ll never forget.

How do you apply flea treatment effectively?

Need some help knowing how to apply flea treatment to your pet or just want confirmation that you are applying it correctly? We get it.

First things first, watch our how to apply videos for cats and dogs...

Know you know the step-by-steps, make sure you stick to these rules after applying flea treatment to your pet, so that it's 100% effective:

- Keep' em dry. Your pet can't get wet for 48 hours.

- Don’t touch the treated area. Hands off.

- No licking the treated area (your pet, not you…).

- Don't share your bed with your pet on the night your pet is treated.

- Treat all your pets in your household at the same time, ideally in the evening.

- Weigh your pet regularly and tell us about any changes so that we can adjust their dose.