Who to hire for fleas in the house

Short answer

A licensed pest manager for the house and your vet for the animal, at the same time. Most of a flea population at any moment is eggs, larvae and pupae in carpet, bedding and subfloor rather than adults on the pet — which is why treating only the animal fails, and why vacuuming thoroughly before and after treatment matters more than people expect.

Soon, not tonightIt will not usually get cheaper by waiting, and it is rarely worth an after-hours rate.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Pest Controller.

  • your vet

    always, in parallel. Over-the-counter products vary a great deal in effectiveness.

  • a carpet cleaner

    carpets are heavily affected. Hot water extraction removes a lot of the life stages mechanically.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Vacuum everywhere, thoroughly, especially where the animal sleeps and along skirtings, and empty the vacuum outside immediately. Vibration triggers pupae to hatch, which is useful before a treatment and unhelpful after.
  2. Wash all pet bedding hot.
  3. Treat the animal on the same day as the premises, using something the vet recommends.
  4. Clear floors so the treatment can reach them, and think about the subfloor if the house has one — that is where flea problems often persist.

What to ask when you book

  • Does the treatment include an insect growth regulator? Adult-only products leave the eggs.
  • Is a follow-up included, and when?
  • How long do we stay out, and what about the fish tank and the bird?
  • Are you treating the yard as well, and the subfloor?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • House size and how much carpet there is.
  • Whether the subfloor and yard are treated.
  • Number of visits.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Pest management licensing applies to the premises treatment. Animal treatments are the vet's.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for fleas in the house
A licensed pest manager for the house and your vet for the animal, at the same time. Most of a flea population at any moment is eggs, larvae and pupae in carpet, bedding and subfloor rather than adults on the pet — which is why treating only the animal fails, and why vacuuming thoroughly before and after treatment matters more than people expect.
Why are there still fleas two weeks after treatment?
Because pupae are protected and hatch over a period of weeks, and the vibration of people walking on the floor is what triggers them. Continuing to see a few adults for a couple of weeks after a good treatment is expected — an insect growth regulator in the treatment is what stops those adults starting the cycle again.

Find a Pest Controller near you

1,396 pest controllers in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.

Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.