Coeur d'Alene/Hayden - are fleas much of a problem? (Sandpoint: inspection, live)

[LS35a]

I'm thinking of using a preventive medicine called 'Revolution'.

[mistyriver]

It's supposed to be a BAD season for fleas and ticks. I live an hour north of CDA and we have never had an animal with fleas or ticks but I'm considering using Revolution this year. I have used it before with very good results.

[Sandpointian]

misty: why is that?

I could tell you it is wild that for the past month I have been killing bugs on my windshield in mass quantities a la July.

S.

[eqttrdr]

crazy how many little gnats there are ... they all sleep on my front door at night...

amazing

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

The story I hear is that that it didn't get cold enough, for long enough last winter to kill off the bugs.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Sandpointian

misty: why is that?

I could tell you it is wild that for the past month I have been killing bugs on my windshield in mass quantities a la July.

S.

It's the spring hatch. From now to the end of May there will be many and eggs hatching and turning into water larvae and then wild flies. Any time someone travels close to a river, the vehicle will get crusty pretty fast.
If you run into a major hatch, your car can look like it was carpeted in just a few minutes.

This year's hatch is probably going to be heavy because there wasn't much of a prolonged deep freeze. The bugs die in the years when a river freezes solid in spots, but that didn't happen last winter in most places.

Ticks are the same. Winter kill decreases them, especially if there are several cold winters in a row, and warmer winters allow many more to survive.

Are there fleas up in the panhandle? We don't have them down here unless they're carried in. Maybe that will change though, if our winters keep staying warmer and rainier.

Be careful about using flea & tick medicine on your dogs. Remember that it's systemic poison. Talk to a vet before you dose your dog. I've had a couple of dogs who became very sick from the stuff and had no ticks on them. Now, I only use it if I see a tick on a dog first. It's always a good idea to look your dog over very closely after a day in the boonies during a bad tick year.

In my experience, ticks aren't everywhere- they tend to clump in areas that are best suited to them. Some shadier spot or one a little closer to some moisture may have a lot of them in the sagebrush and rabbit brush, while 100 yards away a spot that's more dry and gets sun all day may have none at all. Heavily forested areas are different- it depends a lot on what trees and underbrush are growing in an area.

If your dog has them, it's a good chance you will too, so check yourself as well as your dog if one is found. And be sure to check your boots. Talcum powder is good to use in footwear- the stuff gets under their scales and grinds them. It doesn't kill them, but they drop off to get away from it.

[Sandpointian]

Thanks, Banjo.

Me not noticing them does not mean they are not everywhere. Perhaps I am just far enough away from water.

[Heidi60]

A few months ago we talked to our vet as the Frontline didn't seem to be working anymore for our cats. He said to try Advantage and to apply it as often as needed as Frontline didn't seem to be as effective as it used to be and he had many patients complaining. Do not use some off brand which is cheaper but might make you pet sick.

We are finally flea free, and keeping the cats inside, but it took applying Frontline or Advantage every two weeks for about a six week period. My concern was that using it so often would not be good for the cats but the vet said they are different chemicals and could be applied even a day apart. Not sure I wanted to try that but two weeks seemed be good.

Check with your vet about dogs.

[Carlyee3]

Generally, my experience has been that fleas aren't a problem anywhere you get long periods where the ground stays around and below freezing. The flea goes thru a life cycle stage where the eggs go to ground to hatch. Too cold, they don't survive the winter. We never had them in Bend and I suspect CDA would be the same.

Ticks when I worked in the woods were mostly associated with grass and oak ecotypes, less so in conifers, except those that tend to be drier, such as more xeric Ponderosa pine sites. A daily inspection of yourself and dogs was the only clue of them being around. Ask the local Drs if Lime disease has ever been detected in the area you are interested in.