NHT Day 07 01 Fleas
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Well, good morning, my PMPs.
And welcome to our
module on flea control.
I'm still Jim Harron
and you're still not.
But we're going to go
talk about fleas anyway.
Now Louis, you want me to
go over the schedule today.
Let me explain what's going to happen.
We are talking about fleas
and we'll take our 10-minute break
and we'll come back and talk about
occasional invaders at noon.
Then we're going to
from 12 till 1 Eastern Time.
Then we're going to take
a two hour break
because we have a termite module
coming in there, fantastic.
Oh, good heavens.
I have a termite module.
But we will be back here
at 3 o'clock Eastern Time
to talk about stored product pests.
So fleas this morning,
occasional invaders starting at noon,
then we are back at 3 o'clock
talking about stored product pest.
So that is our fun filled
and exciting day that we have today.
Yay!
Us, so there.
Stormy is in here, come back,
come on out here stormy.
This is stormy see they're delayed,
there backwards.
That one should be.
Yeah, she's in,
Stormy make's some magic happen
not too many people get to see stormy
but that that was stormy.
Okay. Let me deal with Adam real quick.
Hold on. Adam has a problem.
Okay.
So not all classes get to see Stormy,
I hope you realize how lucky you are
because that just doesn't happen,
thank you, Stormy.
She can, you know, does magic,
she waves that chickens over things
and the equipment
just gets healed, it's amazing.
So...
Okay.
So now hopefully by now
all of you have done your pre-work
which includes a review of,
don't become their food supply,
which is important.
So we're going to be reviewing that,
we are gonna spending, a lot of time
on don't become their food supply
'cause that is all important.
Okay, so I have a question for you,
but I don't want you
to chat in quite yet.
But I want you to think about this
don't chat and yet.
So what is a vector?
We say fleas are vectors.
Now stormy can we go over
the document camera one second?
So fleas are vectors, but is it like my,
one of my all time favorite movies,
Airplane.
We have Clearance, Clarence.
Roger, Roger. What's our vector Victor?
Is it that kind of vector
we're talking about?
Or is it some other kind of vector?
So go ahead
and tell me what is a vector?
So chat that in,
what the heck is a vector?
What our vector Victor?
If you have never seen
the movie Airplane,
do yourself a favor
and watch it some time.
Okay.
Animal that transmits disease
something that transmit disease
from one living thing to another,
we are organisms.
Okay.
Organisms that carries it,
host and passes on the disease,
carries a disease.
Disease passer.
Okay, so we have a lot of things
about disease
and carrying disease
and transmitting disease.
So I will use my official voice
to read you the official definition.
A vector is an organism
that carries disease
causing microorganisms
from one host to another.
So that's, that's it.
So how does a flea do this?
Now I want you to think
of flea's mouth parts,
as it's like tube.
So you have this tube
in the flea's mouth parts, okay.
As this very simplistic terms, okay.
Flea has a tube for a mouth part
and inside this tube
are two straws, okay.
Two straws.
One sucks up the blood.
So it sticks its mouth parts in you
and sucks up your blood.
Now your blood tends to clot.
That's what it does, you spring
a leak in you your blood clots
and plug up the leak in you, okay.
Well, if the flea were
to stick its mouth parts
in, the blood would tend to clot
around that thing there,
that mouth part, and the flea would be
unable to pull its mouth parts out
because of the clotted blood.
I can't get my mouth parts out, okay.
So what the flea does
and other organisms like this
is they have that second straw in there
that's pumping down any coagulant
and some other things
that prevent the blood from clotting.
So when the fleas finish its feeding
it's able to pull its mouth parts out.
So one is sucking up the blood,
the other is pumping down
this stuff, okay.
So that's how a flea is able
to remove its mouth parts.
But when it's pumping down this
other stuff this salivary,
you know, stuff that's how
it's able to transmit disease.
So they can transmit typhus
and cat scratch fever
and Bubonic or black plague.
Remember,
if your money Python fan like me,
remember the opening of the Holy Grail,
Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Yeah, you know, they show to cart
with dead people on
and somebody banging a pot.
Bang!
Bring out you're dead.
Bring out you're dead,
you know, they bang the pot.
Well, I'm serious
and don't call me, Shirley.
Okay.
Glad we have one in here.
Okay so this was a disease
that wiped out, you know,
like 25% of Europe during the Dark Ages.
So it was a lot of people
that died from this
because they didn't know
it was being transmitted by fleas.
Now fleas also can carry parasites
such as tapeworms
and dogs and cats can get the tape worms
from eating the fleas.
So let's think about this
a little bit more
what else can fleas do?
What other damages do they cause?
So go ahead and chat in...
And chat in and tell me
what fleas can do?
It's only a flesh wound.
If you have an answer,
send it to me.
Heartworm in pets.
That's some, a little bit more
mosquito related there
but they cause a rash.
Tapeworms, now they do carry
tapeworms, Jonathan,
that maybe what you're thinking.
Flea dirt, social stigma,
they spread disease
it can get you sick.
Tapeworms, Tapeworms, vet bills, yeah.
So when you think about
these things the nuisances,
fill sleep deprivation.
So, oops, so sorry about that,
so you know,
when they affect the pet,
no one wants to see their pet,
you know, constantly scratching
at their skin and pulling their fur out.
They get those hot spots, you know,
the way they're constantly licking
and grooming themselves
because it itches so bad.
When somebody itches, you know,
you get a flea bite and you itch.
Your body is reacting to that
foreign substance
that the flea has put in you.
That little bit of salivary secretion,
you know,
that the stuff
that they're pumping down.
You know, that's what your bodies
reacting you
and pets do the same thing,
their bodies react
to a foreign substance.
So that's...
No one wants to see
little fluffy and Fido
scratching and itching.
It's very annoying,
when we see our pets'
miserable because of fleas.
And, you know, they can bite
and irritate our skin as well.
So we're not immune to that
and they're just a general nuisance
and, you know, of some of you
chatted in about social stigma,
oh, fleas, "They have fleas, Muffy,
we don't want to get to see them,
they have fleas."
So okay.
I opened a can of worms.
Okay, Ivan, log out
and then log back in again
that should correct
the situation for you.
Okay So we have to remember
that fleas are not normally
a part of our regular service
or perhaps Stormy
can help Ivan in Raleigh.
So we have to remember that,
you know,
they have they're not part
of the usual services
that we're involved with.
So this is something unique
and unusual that we have to do.
So it's not part
of the routine services.
So let's look at our
learning objectives.
We want to identify
critical inspection areas
for flea control and outline
a basic fleas service.
We have to set the customer expectation
and then finally as always,
we review the service with the customer.
The who, what, when, where, and why.
What you saw? What you did?
What the customer needs to go forward?
And what the customer can expect
as a result of the treatment?
Now we go back to the document camera
just one second, Miss Stormy.
Okay.
So in case you've ever wondered
what plague is,
this is Bubonic plague
and was reported in Michigan.
So this is the, you know,
what causes plague.
It's a bacteria colored in purple.
So that's what it looks like.
This was found in Michigan last year,
last fall.
Usually, we have a few cases of plague
each year in this country
mainly out West
but this one was a little bit
out of that usual element,
it was up North.
So they can, so there were four cases,
14 cases reported in 2015,
as of September.
So they do occasionally,
plague does still occur in this country.
But fortunately, no it's not treatable.
We don't have carts rolling around
with bring out you dead
and throw the dead body on the cart.
Okay, So let's look at
a couple of review questions.
Which could be a source of fleas?
Could it be a rat?
A cat? A squirrel? Or a dog?
Sounds like I'm reading a child's book.
Thank you, Bryan.
Looking at our results,
most of you think
it's a little bit of everything
and that is absolutely correct.
So any of these could be
a source of a flea infestation.
So it can be any of these animals
could be the source
and we're going to chat more about that
in just a little bit.
Which of the following statements
about fleas are true?
They have wings
and can fly long distances.
Only the adults feed on blood.
Eggs don't attach to the host
or they're about half inch
to three quarters of an inch long
covered in spines.
Well, most of you think
that it is B and C
and that would be correct.
It is B and C.
Now they do not have wings
and they're not able to fly.
I guess it would make sense
if they don't have wings they can't fly.
So they can hop,
they're really good at jumping
but they do not have the ability to fly.
And on day, I don't know about you
but I don't want something
that's about three quarters
of an inch long covered in spines
on my body sucking up my blood
that would just be like
really, really creepy and gross.
So now the adults are the only ones
that feed on blood, okay.
And the eggs do not attach to the host.
So these are not something
that stay on the body,
stay on the animal.
So they lay the eggs
and the eggs don't attach,
but they fall off and that
that's helpful for the flea
in developmental stuff.
So what happens is that
these little eggs,
they're laid and then they fall off.
Now that's important
because what happens is that
animals are creatures of habit.
They tend to travel in the same areas.
You know, you've probably seen a dog
where a path out in the grass, you know,
in a yard or something like that
because they just keep walking back
in the same areas,
creatures of habit.
Well, that's helpful for the flea
because of the eggs
fall off on the ground
that means that in all probability
that animal is coming back that way
at some point in time.
So in a couple of days to about a week,
the eggs hatch out into these small,
little, worm-like creatures.
Now these little worm-like creatures
are sensitive to light,
they're easy to dry out
so they don't like sunny things.
So they're going to see crack
and crevices to grow
where they're going to develop
on organic material, flea dirt.
So they're going to eat stuff.
Now if you've ever done
any home renovation, you know,
so they like to go to
cracks and crevices.
You haven't done any home renovation
and pulled off a baseboard
that's been in place for a while.
Well, I don't care how clean you are.
It has some nasty gunk
behind a baseboard.
Where's a flea going to go?
What does a flea feed on?
Larva, yeah.
Organic debris.
Sounds like a perfect environment.
We'll get into that
a little bit later on in the control.
So basically these larva hatch out.
Now following up on that question
what we just talked about,
which are life stages of the flea?
Adult. Egg. Nymph. Larva.
And Pupa, which is a cocoon.
Hopefully, that answered your question,
Jeremiah, I saw a picture of it.
You know, there's some things
like that Charles,
those big evaluation,
you know, comparable in size.
Okay, what we just talked about
some of that.
So it is egg, larva, pupa and adult.
There is no nymphal stage here.
There is no nymphal stage.
So what happens is that
the adult comes along, lays an egg,
the egg hatches out into the larva,
as we just talked about.
And then it develops into a pupa.
And here's a pictorial representation
of that.
So the egg is laid,
hatches out in a couple weeks,
a larva develops.
Now when the larva gets ready to pupae.
Now this pupa is sort of this
change of form stage
where it goes from
a little worm like creature
into the adult flea
which we know and despise.
So inside this pupa,
they call it a resting stage
but there's a lot of stuff
going on in there
where it converts from that larva
into an adult.
So there's a lot of chemistry going on,
a lot of changes form going on in there.
But that when the larva
changes into the pupa,
it tends to cover itself
with bits of dirt and debris
that might be found in the area.
Now this pupal case
is not really going to be exposed
to our products and materials
that we put out
since the pupa is in this
protected environment.
And this becomes important
in our control
and we're going to chat about that
a little bit later on.
So we know also that the larva
feed on organic debris
and the adults feed on blood.
So that means that we're looking
at different control strategies
in a different mindset for controlling
the larva and the pupa.
Now I want to follow up
on that question with this one.
How long can adult flea
wait in a cocoon for an animal host?
Is it days months or years.
Okay, so most of you are saying months
and that is absolutely correct.
Now this is very much
a protective mechanism for the flea.
So usually, what will trigger them
coming out of the pupal stage
is movement, so some vibration
or something like that
or maybe they sense heat
or carbon dioxide.
Like from us or warm blooded animal.
So this is protective mechanism
for the flea.
Now if the flea were just to emerge
it would be hopping around
and it would run out of energy
if there was no animal present.
So it waits until
there is a food source available,
a warm blooded animal
to come along and eat it.
So what this means
is a couple of things.
So for instance, if a home is sold
and is vacant for a while.
Well, if there were
a couple of fleas in there
that means when the new people move in
they can be inundated
with fleas all of a sudden.
And also people tend to go on vacations,
you know, for a week or two.
Well, if there was a low level
flea population in there removed,
the homeowners take
little fluffy and Fido out
and there's nobody there for a while
so all the fleas that were there
are little hungry,
all the larva turning into pupa
and pupa turning into adults.
So they're merging in
when the homeowners come home.
So, you know, most people
get home from vacation, not all.
But many people get home
from vacations on, like,
the weekend, Saturday or Sunday.
So the fleas that were there are hungry.
The one's that have changed
into adult stage are hungry.
So what happens is that
the people come home
bring the animals in
and all of a sudden
everyone's covered up with fleas.
Again, it's like oh thank goodness
you're here, I'm hungry, let's eat.
So what that means for us is that
the call center is going to get
a lot of calls on Saturday and Sundays
and the branch office
is going to get the call
as soon as people come home on,
soon as we open up on Monday.
So in summer, lot of good flea
starts on Monday's
because people have
come home from vacations.
All of a sudden, we got a flea problem.
You got to do something about it.
Okay.
So how do we know
if we have signs of fleas?
Well, obviously, if you see them
they're there.
That's sort of basic.
But bites on humans and pets,
now like we talked about last Friday
when we're talking about bedbugs
you're not medical doctors,
I don't suspect too many of you
a veterinarians either.
We should not be diagnosing bites
on humans or pets.
So no, no, no, we don't do that.
Also, do you see fleas on the on pet
also the signs of flea dropping?
Okay.
Gregory, I'm going to give you
a very scientific term "It depends."
It depends on the condition
that it is subjected to.
How much activity has the temperature
and other conditions,
so I can't give you
a definitive timeframe on that
because it depends.
How's that?
How is that for being very scientific?
It depends.
It really it is, it depends
on the conditions that
that flea is subjected to.
Okay, so we keep talking
about this flea dirt stuff.
So what exactly is flea dirt?
Well, flea dirt,
it sort of looks like flex of pepper.
So here we have some animal fur
and you see those
little black spots in there.
So what is flea dirt?
I want you to think of
a flea biting you.
So it sucking in a bunch of blood, okay.
It's pumping out stuff out the back
and to, that's flea dirt.
It's the digested blood.
So it's their fecal material.
So it's sucking up blood in one end
and pumping out flea dirt
at the other stop.
Which is organic material,
which flea larva love to feed on,
and they don't eat true blood,
but they'll eat digest blood
in the form of flea dirt, okay.
So when you think of flea control...
When you think of flea control,
we have to start thinking in 3D.
Now this is true of a lot of our pests.
You know, little of Fido there
is probably going to be on the floor
or a dog bed or maybe
on a low level piece of furniture.
Little Fluffy, the cat there,
Fluffy gets all over the place,
cats like to get into high places.
So communication with the customer
is important
because we have to understand
where the animals hang out.
So where does little Fluffy the cat
like to hang out in the area?
You know, in the home environment.
We're also going to talk about
something called
hard surfaces and soft surfaces.
We generally are not going
to treat hard surfaces,
but we're going to treat soft surfaces,
such as carpets and draperies.
Hard surfaces, like tiled floor
or sealed hardwood floor,
not going to really be that effective.
Jonathan spiders could feed
on a flea or two
but they're not going to be
an effective control.
So with cats, you have to start
thinking of looking up.
You know, you have to
start thinking in 3D.
We as people, tend to want to look
for eye level down.
That's normally what we see.
You get tired and you fall asleep
what happens?
Your head drops,
it's easy to drop your head.
You just, you drop.
When you go to sleep,
your head doesn't go up.
Almost should, you know,
like leaning back
but normally your head is
just going to drop down.
Okay, So we normally
it's easier for us to look here down.
But with fleas,
particularly in structures with cats,
we have to start thinking in that 3D.
Again, this is true
of a lot of our pest,
so stop thinking
just from eye level down
and start looking up.
What are the conditions up there as well
because there are some things up there
which might favor the development
of varying pest,
so as a rule, okay, as a rule...
Think in 3D.
Gregory, you can get the same flea
on dogs and cats.
So it doesn't really matter
there's a cat flea and a dog flea,
guess what they'll feed on both.
And they'll feed on you too.
Okay.
So when you think about other pests
that could be sources
of flea infestation.
It's not just our dogs and cats.
We have to start thinking about
various wildlife critters
that could be out there.
So...
Any of these and don't forget
our comments to rodents.
So it's possums, deer,
skunks, squirrels,
don't forget about mice
and rats as well.
They can be sources of the fleas.
Now at some point in time
you may have a customer,
who comes up to you and says,
"Why, oh why, do I have fleas?
I don't have a dog or cat.
I don't, I don't have a dog or cat,
why do I have fleas?"
Well, what happened is
because of these animals,
in their environment outside, okay,
there are fleas in the environment.
So what happened is that
they were walking through their yard
or park or something like that
and fleas hopped on them
and they unknowingly
bought them inside the home.
Well, it all takes is
one pregnant female flea
and before you know it
you have an infestation going
even without a dog or cat in the home.
So be aware that,
that can occur as well.
It's not always tied to
just having a pet.
So thinking about
flea control on the inside...
Is that a compliment, Gregory,
I'm not trying to take that one.
So where would you
look for fleas indoors?
It could be dog beds and pet cages
and carpets and rugs.
Those are the soft things
that we were talking about before,
the soft surfaces.
And furniture, we're going to
chat about furniture in just a bit.
Now again, I want to emphasize
you are not to inspect,
not to inspect...
Dogs themselves,
they have to go to the vet.
But, you know,
we need to start thinking about
some other areas indoors as well.
Those of the common ones
but where are you gonna look?
If rodents are the source
of infestation,
well it could be in areas
such as attics or drop ceilings,
it could be in basements.
Don't forget about garages,
garages are very important
and here's why many people...
Garages or carports.
Many people, depending on their
construction of their home
may use their garage as an entrance way.
So that's usually, the garage
leads to like a kitchen area
or some something similar to that.
So a lot of people may come and go
into their home via a garage
which means also that the dog or cat
may go in and out that door too.
Maybe the dog is fed in the garage.
Those can be sources
of infestation as well.
And things such as
storage rooms and such.
So...
Now when you start thinking
about outside areas
when you start thinking about outside,
we have to start looking
at areas such as around dog runs.
So again, the dog has
a creature of habit,
they like certain areas,
so where does a dog wear out,
you know, if you've ever seen, you know,
a yard with a dog in it, you know,
right along the fence line
that dog will just wear that grass out.
So dog houses under porches.
If the, you know, in a hot area,
hot time of the year.
Sometimes the dogs if they can
get under a porch or a deck,
they'll construct a little, you know,
they'll scrape the soil down
a little area
where they'll just bed down
during the day,
during the hot part of the day.
So under porches and decks
can be in areas well.
In crawl spaces, and burrow holes,
some dogs can get in crawl space
across spaces aren't sealed.
Some may have rodent infestations
in crawl spaces,
so all of these things.
So you want to know how to do
some inspection tips, don't you?
Well, the easiest one
is to put on a pair of white socks.
And you pull the socks
over your pants legs.
If you don't and there is fleas there,
fleas will crawl up your leg
inside your pants and...
Again, voice of experience,
it's not a pleasant feeling, okay.
Now you can also place
a white handkerchief on the floor
with a lamp over it.
I've heard that all my life,
I've never done it,
just put on a pair of white socks
and walk around if there's fleas there,
you're going to know it, okay.
These are recording.
Yeah, but that can occur,
Troy, in hardwood floors
but I'm going to chat about
hardwood floors
in just a couple of minutes.
Okay.
So the easiest thing to do
put a pair of white socks on
and pull your socks over your pants legs
so the fleas can't get up.
Now I want to emphasize this,
pay very close attention.
Our products and materials
are not designed for you.
You are never to spray yourself
with any of our products or materials.
No, no, no, don't do it.
You would be a violent
former regulator here
that would be a violation
of label directions.
No, don't do that.
The other thing is well,
how do I get them off?
Well, if it's just
one or two fleas you go.
And, you know, flick them off, okay.
If you get a few more on,
you know, how to get it,
here's a good Jim's helpful
little hint on flea control.
Get one of those rolling lint brushes,
you know,
the ones that have
the adhesive tape on them.
You just roll him over your clothes
to pick up animal hair lint
and things like that.
Well, if there's any fleas on you
guess what you roll it over
the fleas are going to get stuck
on that sticky stuff
and there you can just peel them off
and throw it away.
So that's way.
Don't, don't, don't treat yourself
with a product or material.
Now as I mentioned before
fleas are a specialty service
it's not something that's normally
covered under our routine services.
And we always talk about
our pest management procedures
being a partnership
between the customer and ourselves.
But in flea control,
this is one of the areas
that is really, really, so important
for customer dissipation
and preparation.
So in your participants guide,
you should have
a "Don't become their food source."
Okay. Don't become the food source.
So I want to go over this,
I want to spend some time
on this document.
So Miss Stormy, can we go
to the document camera please?
Oh, thank you, very much.
So here is the document
"Don't Become Their Food Supply."
So I'm going to spend
several minutes on this.
I want to go over this
because its so, so important.
Now let me zoom in a little bit here
on some of this stuff, okay.
So the customer, this is information
for the customer, okay.
You want to have the customer
remove all toys,
decorative items, pets, pillow
or pet food, water bowls.
Get everything up off the floor
and under beds as well.
Now this means if you have a customer
who has one 150 pair of shoes
like Stormy does.
She's got shoes stacked in her closet,
she got stacked shoes
stacked under her bed,
she's got a 150 to 200,
what was the latest count, Stormy,
about 200 pair?
About 200?
Something like that anyway,
she's giving me dirty looks in there,
I'm telling her secrets, okay.
So everything has to go off the floor
because we're gonna
have to treat on there.
Well, my dog or cat
never gets under the bed.
Guess what happens during the summer?
You have thunderstorms.
When you have thunderstorms
in many parts of the country,
animals get afraid of that,
they flea to use
somebody's earlier joke,
they're going to hide in closets
and under beds
places that they normally don't get to
during a thunderstorm
a lot of pets will do that.
So everything off the floor
and under the bed too.
Then you have to remove or cover
fish tanks and turn off air pumps.
Remember the Mr. Chen scenario.
Remember the Mr. Chen scenario...
Where we talked about
killing that Amazonian Cocktail.
We talked about a lot of our
products and materials
are toxic to birds and fish.
Well, fish are very susceptible
to our products
so we have to cover the tanks
and turn off the air supply.
Pumps can be reactivated
once the treatment is dried
and the building has ventilated out.
So birds get them out of there.
Then you want to thoroughly
vacuum your carpet by doing so,
you're going to pick up a lot of
the fleas and the eggs and larva.
And pay particular attention to areas
where pets play or rest
or, you know, just hang out.
Now then you want to take
the vacuum cleaner outside,
remove the vacuum cleaner bag
and throw it
wrap it up in a plastic bag
and throw it away.
If you don't, that connective
sorcery infestation,
what's inside a vacuum cleaner bag?
Organic debris and lots of it,
it is like all you can eat buffet
for a flea larva, okay.
So remove the bag and clean it up.
Now this is an interesting statement,
research has shown that vacuum
effectively removes the fleas, okay
and it also aids in the penetration
of our treatment
into the carpet area because it tends
to stand the fibers on end
after you vacuum or carpet
it tends to raise the fibers up.
So you remove the vacuum cleaner bag,
wrap it up in a plastic bag
and throw it away.
But I know what you're thinking,
"Jim, a lot of my customers
have canister vacuums now."
Because in my mind that's the way
you're sounding right now.
No, kidding.
So you do the same thing.
Take the vacuum cleaner outside
dump the contents of that canister
into a plastic bag,
wrap, seal it up and throw it away.
Then you have to either
wash the pet bedding
or replace the pet bedding, okay.
This is not something we do,
we are not spraying pet bedding.
It has to be taken care of
by the customer.
So they wash it or throw it away.
So if you have pets recommend
that they take them to a vet
and get it treated or perhaps,
they can use it
some topical flea product
from a pet supply store.
Now that's not a tropical flea product,
just one letter makes it much more
inviting topical versus tropical,
two different words,
one letter difference, okay.
So make sure that it's done the same day
that you're doing the treatment.
Now, oops, I can't, I'm going
to show that right here, okay,
right down there.
So wash all pet bedding
and then treat the pet.
Now you also have to show you that you,
the service specialist
or the sales inspector
where the space pet
spends most of the time?
So where does the pet hang out?
So where is this pet going to hang out?
We need to concentrate
our treatments on those areas.
Now pets and people have to be
out of the house
during the treatment.
And they should not re-enter
for a minimum of four hours
or until the surfaces have dried, okay.
Now chat in and tell me,
why you think
they should not re-enter
for a minimum of four hours?
Or until all treated surfaces
have dried?
Chat that in, why do you think
we use that language?
Why do you think we use that language
for a minimum of four hours
or until all surfaces have dried?
Fumes, fumes, definitely,
there are some
risk issues, okay.
Okay, okay, so you're all
focusing on safety, okay,
you all focusing on safety.
But there's another reason here.
I want you to think of
a nice breezy summers day, low humidity
if, you know, that's in your
part of the country in summer
and you open the windows
and the air is dry
and things are going
to dry pretty quick,
verses a damp day, you know,
sort of cool out damp.
Things are going to dry a little slower.
So we say a minimum of four hours
but if it takes a little bit longer,
it might take a little bit longer
and ultimately we are wanting
to make sure that everything is dry
before we allow children or pets
or basically humans and animals
back in there.
So they should not be
on a damp or wet surfaces.
So minimum of four hours
or until everything is dried again.
Things can dry differently,
different parts of the country,
different climatic conditions even,
you know, in just in one area.
If there is an odor in there,
open the windows and ventilate it.
Now I am going to focus in
on this one, item number four.
This is so, so important
to set those customer expectations.
It says, due to the nature
of flea's life cycle,
it's normal to see some fleas for up to
two to three weeks after treatment.
That's because folks because
they're inside that protective cocoon.
Inside the protective cocoon.
They're not going to be exposed
to our products and materials
when they're inside that environment.
So the flea larva
that have changed into the pupa
that protected environment
they are not exposed
to our products of materials
which means they're going
to continue to emerge
from that pupa stage,
into the adult stage
because our product can't get to them.
Now these fleas will be eliminated
by the residual action
of our product and material.
If however, you continue to see fleas
after about two and a half
to three weeks
by all means give us a call
and we'll come back out.
But if we do not set these
customer expectations,
the customer thinks that
all the fleas are going to be dead
by the time we leave the driveway
and we know due to the biology again,
it gets into that science stuff.
We know that the fleas
are not going to be all dead.
So we have to tell the customer
and assure the customer
that it's going to take some time.
So make sure that the customer
is well aware
that it is normal to see fleas
for a period of time after application.
We do not get product specific here
but one of the things that we have to do
is treat with a residual
that depends on your branch
in your area of the country
that you're in.
And use and IGR.
We chatted about IGRs
when we were dealing with,
you know, Freddy and his bling.
So I don't bother chatting,
got to tell you.
Remember, we talked about this
that IGRs break the life cycle of fleas
by not allowing them to mature,
about causing them to become sterile
and unable to reproduce.
So this is important to understand
that the fleas,
the life cycle of them
is going to be broken
by the IGR.
So it's always important
to make sure that
we're using an IGR
as part of our service for flea control.
Okay.
Now I've mentioned
a little while ago
about these soft surfaces
and hard surfaces.
So which are areas that you think
we would normally want to treat?
Carpet, hardwood floors, dog beds,
and bottom of draperies.
So which are areas
we would normally want to treat?
Robin, it's advisable
that they vacuum on a regular basis.
They vacuum on a regular basis.
If you look at item three on
that don't become their food supply.
So they can continue vacuuming
on a regular basis.
Okay, so this one always
generates a little discussion here.
So carpet and bottom of draperies
are the correct answers, okay.
Now we do not treat pet bedding
or the tops of cushions
because we don't want pets
to come in direct contact
with our product.
Remember, we're not using poisons,
we're not using chemicals
we're using products or materials.
So we don't want to treat dog beds,
that's customers responsibility
to replace that
and then regularly launder it
and vacuum it out,
'cause we don't treat pet bedding,
we don't treat surfaces that someone's
regularly going to sleep on
for flea control, okay.
So now the hard surfaces
and soft surfaces.
Let me chat about that for a minute
because so the correct answer
would be carpet and draperies.
Now these hard surfaces
such as hardwood floors
and when you say hardwood floors
that covers a multitude of issues.
Is it a sealed hardwood floor
is a nice laminate that,
you know is sealed.
Not many cracks and crevices
or is it a very rough hardwood floor
where there's a lot of
cracks and crevices in it
that can be a different thing.
But with hardwood floors
particularly with a good finish on them.
If you apply a thin film of a liquid
like it might come
from a compressed air sprayer.
Hardwood floors can get
very, very slippery
so be very careful
about that particularly
if you ever have to apply it on stairs
like carpet on stairs,
be careful on hardwood floors
and stairs
and no applying a product or material
because they become very slippery.
The other downside to that is that
some of our products and materials
can leave a visible residue on there.
So be aware of that,
we don't like treating hardwood floors.
So be careful about that
because they become slippery.
If you're treating a hardwood floor
where it has like a stair runner on it,
a carpet runner on the stairs, you know,
it's partial on you can have to
treat that carpeted area
but be careful about the overhang
where the wood
hangs out on the end, okay.
So it's the carpet the middle,
the wood on the end.
Those can become very slippery
if you get some product material
on there,
be careful about...
Leaving visible residue.
If you're gonna to treat it,
you might want to treat an area
that's not, you know,
behind something or under something
just to make sure
it's not going to do that.
Okay, so be careful about that folks.
Now when we think about
an outdoor treatment
we want to apply product and material
where any area where the animal
runs plays or lies or hangs out.
So also don't forget about things
such as crawl spaces
because they can get
in those areas as well.
Okay, don't worry about that.
So kennels, garages, dog runs,
along those fence lines
that I've mentioned
a couple of times, crawl spaces,
under decks, under, you know,
again where's that animal
gonna hang out?
Where's the animal gonna
get out of the sun?
Okay.
Now, one of the other things
that we need to be aware of...
Is that in some depending
on the state that you're in...
State physical location not mental.
Depending on where you're located,
let's do it that way.
Depending on where you're located,
you may have to have a special license
to treat in the yard.
Talk to your branch
or service manager about that.
Some states will require
special licensing
or treatment of yards.
So be aware of that as well.
Normally, you can treat
right around the structure
but if you have to go out in the yard,
that may require an ornamental
and turf license or something
similar in your state.
Because we don't want our customers
to come in contact with the product,
the material, okay.
So remember, it's important
to set the customer expectations folks,
remind them that they may see
flea activity for several days
or even a couple of weeks
but we will come back if it's necessary.
Continuing vacuuming
and treating the pet as per,
you know, vacuuming on a regular basis
and treating the pet
as per the directions of the vet
or the product that they are using.
So if there is a problem,
we will come back, okay.
Yeah, Troy, if I had time,
I'd tell you this incredible story
about when I was really young,
I was a home treated for termites
and they had a few cats in there.
This elderly couple, elderly couple
that was in this home
had a dirt basement in there underneath,
it almost down there treating
the termites
these cats got down there.
I walked in there, I was absolutely
covered up with fleas.
They didn't notice it, they knew
they had a few fleas
but I was eaten up.
Some people can be bit so much
they become desensitized to it.
Their bodies stop reacting to it.
But if I don't have time
to tell you that story, Troy,
so I can't do that.
So remember folks
and we are about out of time
there is an activity in there
go over that with your service manager,
your CFT about the Baker family, okay.
Remember, at the end of the service,
we review with the customer
what you saw?
What you did?
What the customer needs to do
going forward
and what the customer can expect
as a result of the treatment.
So this is one of those
that is absolutely imperative
that we have proper communication
with the customer.
If we don't have proper communication
with the customer,
we're going to have some
serious problems
because they're going to expect
that all the fleas to be gone
by the time we leave the driveway.
So set those
customer expectations folks,
it is vitally important to do that.
Okay, Omar, you're the one
that didn't want me to sing.
Now I'm confused.
Okay.
Now there is some
self-study work for you
as we finish up this module.
Discuss with your branch manager,
what you're going to do if the customer
is not prepared for you to be there?
They had, Stormy has gotten her
150 pair of shoes off the floor.
Talk about what surfaces
you can and cannot treat.
Double check
on the licensing requirements
for outdoor flea treatments.
And what are you going to do
if wildlife is a source
of flea infestation?
So we have some things
that you have to go over
with your branch and service manager.
Okay, folks, we are going
to take our 9-minute break,
when we come back at the top of the hour
we're going to change our direction
and talk about occasional invaders.
Things that get into the structure
occasionally.
Hence a very clever name
occasional invaders.
We'll see you at the top of the hour.