Flea & Tick Identification

What are fleas and ticks?

Fleas and ticks are small parasites that live on the blood of warm-blooded hosts, pets and people included. Fleas are tiny wingless insects with spring-loaded back legs, built to jump onto whatever walks past. They prefer dogs and cats but will feed on you without complaint when the pets are unavailable.

Ticks are not insects at all. They are arachnids, cousins of spiders and scorpions. A tick embeds its mouthparts in the skin and feeds slowly, over hours or days. Both pests are common across Central Texas, busiest in the warm months, and thanks to the Austin area's mild winters, capable of staying active all year.

Are fleas and ticks dangerous?

Both go well beyond itchy. Fleas are the main carrier of murine typhus in Texas, their bites can trigger allergic reactions and fierce skin irritation, and they pass tapeworms to pets and occasionally to people.

Ticks rank among the most significant disease vectors in North America. In Central Texas they can carry Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and tularemia. The nasty part is that a tick numbs the skin before it feeds, so plenty of people never notice the bite and only find out when symptoms show up later. If your household includes kids or outdoor pets, flea and tick prevention belongs on the year-round list.

Why do I have a flea and tick problem?

Usually something carried them in. Deer, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, and feral cats moving through the yard shed flea eggs and ticks into the grass, where they wait for the next host. Pets that spend time outside pick them up and walk them through the front door before you see a thing.

Central Texas heat plus abundant wildlife keeps both populations thriving, and even indoor-only pets are not fully safe, since fleas and ticks ride in on shoes and clothes. Once fleas get established inside, the math turns against you quickly: a single female lays up to 50 eggs a day.

Where will I find fleas and ticks?

Fleas want warmth and humidity, and they concentrate where your pets sleep and lounge: carpet, rugs, upholstered furniture, and pet bedding. The eggs, larvae, and pupae work deep into carpet fibers and floor cracks, which is precisely why home remedies keep failing against them.

Ticks hold outdoor territory: tall grass, dense brush, wooded patches, and the edges along trails and landscaping, especially where a yard borders greenbelt, cedar, or native vegetation. They cannot jump or fly. They quest, perching on a grass blade with legs outstretched, waiting to grab whatever brushes past. From there they ride pets or pant legs indoors, and left undetected, they can establish inside too.

How do I get rid of fleas and ticks?

All three fronts at once: the pets, the house, and the yard. Treat only one and the cycle stays intact, and the population bounces right back. Store-bought products rarely finish the job on a real infestation, especially once flea eggs and pupae are buried in the carpet or the lawn.

Accurate Termite and Pest Control has treated flea and tick problems across Cedar Park, Leander, Austin, and greater Central Texas for over 25 years. Our treatments break the flea life cycle and clear the tick harborage around the property so your family and pets can use the house and yard in peace. Get in touch about our flea and tick control services and get a free estimate.

How can I prevent fleas and ticks in the future?

Prevention runs through the yard, the pets, and the house together. Our techs recommend:

• Keep the grass cut short and clear out brushy overgrowth. Questing ticks need tall vegetation to wait on, so take it away.
• Run a gravel or wood-chip border where the lawn meets the tree line. Ticks cross it poorly, so it slows their spread onto the property.
• Get every pet in the house on a vet-recommended preventive, and keep it going all year, not just in summer.
• Check pets carefully after outdoor time, especially the ears, paws, and under the collar.
• Wash pet bedding in hot water on a regular schedule and vacuum carpet, rugs, and furniture often to pull up eggs and larvae.
• Seal the gaps under decks and porches and around the foundation to keep out the raccoons and opossums that deliver fleas and ticks.
• Check yourself and the family after time in woods or tall grass, and pull any attached tick promptly with fine-tipped tweezers.
• Cut back on bird feeders and other wildlife draws near the house, since visiting animals are the main way fleas and ticks arrive.

You can also read about our home pest control and commercial pest control programs.